Democracy in crisis? Direct elections

In the six months of Temer's illegitimate government, the Brazilian crisis deepened, ceasing to be merely circumstantial and becoming institutional. The gravity of the situation reveals the need for a new national democratic pact, one that summons society and reintegrates citizens into the political process, promoting solutions from within democracy. Unfortunately, today the country lives in a true "state of democratic suspicion," given the instability of the Republic's institutions and powers, whether due to partiality in addressing serious issues or the inability to adequately respond to national dilemmas. The Brazilian people, without a stable and legitimate government, live with insecurities of all kinds, with the escalation of political intolerance, and with the fear of losing labor, social security, and social rights.

In this short span of time, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies was removed from office, impeached, and imprisoned; the President of the Senate became a defendant, was removed from the presidency, and returned 24 hours later in a suspicious manner; six ministers of the Temer government resigned on suspicion of involvement in corruption; the plea bargains, recently approved, indicate the involvement of several other ministers and also the President of the Republic; Supreme Court justices publicly accuse each other while the Judiciary and Legislative branches clash.

Mainstream media coverage is biased and partial; investigations into corruption cases are divided into positive actions and politically motivated actions; proto-fascist movements are growing throughout the country; social media is completely contaminated by hatred and intolerance; the coup against democracy, disguised as impeachment, has deeply tarnished Brazil's international image.

On the other hand, the evident exhaustion of the electoral system, stalled while awaiting political reform—always discussed, never implemented—prevents the improvement of the representative system through an exclusive Constituent Assembly and favors the emergence of authoritarian solutions. Citizens feel cornered and powerless. The highest institutions of democracy and the Republic lose credibility every day.

In the economy, the bitter medicine of fiscal adjustment against the poorest, and of selective austerity on social programs and public policies, has failed. Here and in the rest of the world. Since Temer took office, unemployment has grown rapidly, GDP has fallen, public and private investment is paralyzed, and the dollar and inflation remain above target. The country of fiscal adjustment, to the liking of international financial markets, has stagnated, and more seriously, is beginning to regress due to anti-national measures such as the approval of Senator José Serra's (PSDB) law that handed over the pre-salt reserves to international private exploration and revoked the national content policy.

The approval of the inequality amendment, which freezes resources for essential policies (health, education, social assistance, etc.) and social programs (Bolsa Família) for 20 years; and the presentation of a pension reform bill, which, among other measures, requires 49 years of contributions for full retirement benefits.

Meanwhile, government parties in the Chamber of Deputies attempted to pass an amendment to grant amnesty for the crime of undeclared campaign contributions, with the intention of protecting their parliamentary base and ministers involved in the Lava Jato corruption scandal and the Odebrecht and other major construction companies' plea bargains that committed serious acts of corruption. Even more serious, the president himself is suspected, among other things, of having received R$ 11 million, according to plea bargain testimonies.

What legitimacy does this government, mired in an unprecedented crisis, have to propose paths and solutions for Brazil? Temer's illegitimate government is crumbling under the weight of mismanagement, leniency towards corruption, the dismantling of the Brazilian state, the withdrawal of social policies and rights, the worsening economic scenario, the loss of support, and the growing rejection evident in demonstrations of all kinds. Michel Temer's resignation is the best path for Brazil, in the name of the country and the restoration of democracy. The solution to the Brazilian crisis requires new general elections that promote the renegotiation of democracy and remove the country from such political, social, and institutional instability.

At such a critical moment, it is necessary to delve deeper into the democratic question and uphold an absolute value enshrined in Article 1, sole paragraph, of the Federal Constitution: "All power emanates from the people." Therefore, let the sovereign power to elect the nation's principal leader be returned to the Brazilian people, guaranteeing legitimacy and stability, but above all, democracy. Direct Elections Now!

From the South 21