The events of the past week have left Brazil without a stable government. Massive protests have demanded that President Dilma Rousseff be removed from office for corruption, and she has warned of the threat of a coup. Meanwhile, she announced that she was appointing former President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva as her chief of staff, even as investigators zero in on allegations of corruption against him. Congress is beginning deliberations on Rousseff’s impeachment.
The situation is fluid and unpredictable, but constitutional scholars and analysts believe there are at least five ways a new government can be re-formed. Rousseff and Lula can rebuild a coalition and beat impeachment. The task seems Herculean at the moment, but the ruling Workers’ Party seems to be betting the farm on the possibility. The plan would rely upon Lula being allowed to enter government and then employing his considerable political skills to win back support in Congress and among the population to save the government. READ MORE
