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Speaker of Brazilian lower house steps down

In a press conference, Eduardo Cunha said he has been the target of
Carolina Gonçalves reports from Agência Brasil
Published on 07/07/2016 - 15:50
Brasília
Brasília - O presidente afastado da Câmara, Eduardo Cunha (PMDB-RJ), renunciou há pouco à presidência da Casa (Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil)
© Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil
Brasília - O presidente afastado da Câmara, Eduardo Cunha (PMDB-RJ), renunciou há pouco à presidência da Casa (Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil)

Cunha insisted he has been the target of persecution for accepting the complaint that initiated Rousseff's impeachment proceedings.Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil

The suspended speaker of the Brazilian lower house, Eduardo Cunha, resigned today (Jul. 7) as the head of the Chamber of Deputies. But he remains as congressman, elected in Rio de Janeiro by the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB).

"I decided to hear the repeated pleas made by my supporters [...] Only my resignation can put an end to this indefinite instability. The Chamber of Deputies will not stand it endlessly," he said, reading his letter of resignation during a press conference at the lower house. Cunha had already refused to resign several times.

When reading the letter, Cunha wept, especially when he thanked his family and supporters. He insisted he has been the target of persecution for accepting the complaint that initiated Rousseff's impeachment proceedings. "I suffered and I still suffer much persecution because of my agenda. I'm paying a high price for having initiated the impeachment," he said. According to him, a decision he does not regret having taken.

Because of Cunha's resignation, the lower house will have to call new elections within five sessions, with a minimum of 51 congressmen attending it. As a stopgap measure, the elected speaker will serve a short mandate, ending in February, 2017, when a new speaker will be elected for a regular 2-year tenure.

Cunha is currently serving his fourth mandate as federal deputy, and was elected speaker of the Chamber of Deputies for a 2-year tenure on February 1, 2015. It took only a couple of months for suspicions of his wrongdoing to take their toll on the newly elected house speaker, who reportedly took part in the illicit scheme involving contracts between Petrobras and contractors, apart from the controversy regarding his alleged secret bank accounts overseas. The allegations, coupled with a complaint by fellow lawmakers accusing him of benefiting other deputies and manipulating votes in the house, finally resulted in the opening of the case aimed at stripping him of office.

The request to initiate the case was made in October last year, when PSOL and Rede parties filed a motion against Eduardo Cunha, claiming he had lied to the Congressional Committee of Investigation (CPI) on Petrobras by denying holding bank accounts overseas. The request, however, was not granted by the Ethics Council until June 14, by 11 votes against 9. Before reaching the house floor for a final vote, the case faced a number of appeals, just as it had done before being submitted to the Ethics Council. Cunha's opponents believe manoeuvrings to delay the decision were his doing.

Supreme Court

Parallel to the proceedings aimed at removing his license, Cunha is facing at least five other cases at the Supreme Court.


Translated by Amarílis Anchieta / Fabrício Ferreira


Fonte: Speaker of Brazilian lower house steps down