PSDB challenges Dilma's decision on Venezuela.
Alvaro Dias, the PSDB leader in the Senate, confirmed that the party has contacted its legal counsel to appeal to the Supreme Court against Brazil's approval of the "illegal" incorporation of Hugo Chávez's country into Mercosur; the senator from Paraná assumes the role of informal ambassador for Paraguay in Brazil.
247 Paraguay has gained a new ally against Venezuela's entry into Mercosur. The PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) is considering appealing to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) against Brazil's vote in favor of incorporating Hugo Chávez's country, deeming the action illegal. Read more in Josias de Souza's article:
The PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) has mobilized its legal advisors to analyze the feasibility of an appeal to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) against Venezuela's entry into Mercosur. The party believes that, by endorsing the incorporation of Hugo Chávez's country into the economic bloc, Dilma Rousseff flirted with illegality.
"If the lawyers consider it possible, we will go to the Supreme Court," Alvaro Dias, the PSDB leader in the Senate, told the blog. According to him, Professor Celso Lafer, former Minister of Foreign Affairs during the FHC administration, is participating in the internal discussion.
The Treaty of Asunción, which created Mercosur, states in its article 20 that the entry of new members into Mercosur "will be subject to a unanimous decision by the States Parties." And Paraguay had not approved the welcoming of Venezuela.
Claiming that the lightning-fast impeachment of Fernando Lugo represented a breach of democratic rules, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay approved the suspension of Paraguay from Mercosur.
With the suspension finalized, a joint statement was issued incorporating Venezuela into the bloc. The final decision, made without Paraguay's consent, was scheduled for July 31st at a meeting in Rio. The PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) intends to act before then.
Last night, Alvaro Dias flew to Asunción, the Paraguayan capital. He said he was invited by Federico Franco, the vice president who took over the presidency in place of Lugo. This Friday (6), the Brazilian senator will have a packed agenda.
“I will have meetings with the President of the Republic, the President of the Supreme Court, the President of Congress, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs,” he said. “Also this Friday, a delegation from the OAS [Organization of American States] arrives in Paraguay. Everyone is trying to get up to speed on the facts.”
According to Alvaro Dias, Brazil has gotten itself into a double mess. First, by treating Lugo's "constitutional removal" as a "coup." Then, by approving Venezuela's entry into Mercosur in defiance of the treaty that established the bloc. The senator said he hopes to bring back useful information from Paraguay for the likely legal action by the PSDB party and data that he intends to "share" with his colleagues.