Brazil: Opposition welcomes lower house speaker's suspension
Brasília - Opposition parties at the Chamber of Deputies said the Supreme Court ruling that suspended Speaker Eduardo Cunha from office was "consistent with law".
Opposition parties in the Chamber of Deputies (PSDB, DEM, PPS, and PSB) said the Supreme Court (STF) decision to ratify a ruling by Justice Teori Zavascki that suspended Speaker Eduardo Cunha from office on Thursday (May 5) was “consistent with law”.
In a press statement, the opposition urged the need to choose a new speaker, arguing that Cunha's removal left the role vacant because the Supreme Court has not set a date for his return or completion of his prosecution. “The opposition parties demand that a new election be held immediately in order to allow this House to return to normalcy and resume its activities,” the note read.
They went on to say that Cunha's suspension and the Chamber of Deputies' vote that authorized the impeachment case against President Dilma Rousseff to proceed to Senate show that the institutions are working properly and “indicate a return to such principles and values as transparency, justice, and combating impunity as desired by Brazilian society.”
The note further pointed out that the complaint calling on the Prosecutor-General's Office to seek Cunha's removal from speakership was filed by opposition parties in November 2015. It said the opposition had been calling on Cunha to resign as the presiding officer of the house since reports that he owned unreported offshore accounts emerged from the Operation Car Wash corruption investigations.
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Brazil: Opposition welcomes lower house speaker's suspension
