On the eve of the vote that buried the proposal for a print vote, the President of the House said that powers should dance “without stepping on anyone’s feet.” “This is a good dance, this is life,” said Arthur Lyra, overly optimistic about the harmony between Congress and the Planalto Palace.
Jair Bolsonaro has already donned half the shin boots of the Republic, but is still invited to the Brasilia drag games. Since the beginning of this term, the political world has been selling the version that it is possible to convince the president to act within the framework of minimum democratic rules. However, he himself insists on proving that there is no chance of this.
The House’s decision to present a printed vote to the plenary is a complete example of this farce. The MPs said that the discussion could have ended by categorically rejecting the proposal. He even extended a promise that Bolsonaro would respect the results of the vote if the text was rejected. But the performance only served the president.
Bolsonaro manipulated the number of votes to declare his victory. He said the support of 229 MPs was proof of suspicion about the elections and raised new suspicions of e-voting machine fraud, even admitting that he had no evidence. The House gave Planalto a gift – and even pretended to be a gesture of firmness.
This is not naivety, but interest. The parliamentarians already know that the president is not going to do otherwise and that his only goal is unrest. However, these politicians prefer to pretend that the steps are not causing harm and keep the troublemaker in the hall. They were already used to using their power with Bolsonaro in the room.
Congress should pay more attention to the signals coming from the president himself. Every time he is given the opportunity to participate in a political game, Bolsonaro demonstrates that he does not want to follow any rules. It will not change until 2022.
