By Lise Alves, Senior Contributing Reporter
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – The President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff is in a very delicate position, with Congressional representatives deciding whether or not to start impeachment proceedings against her. Her situation, however, may have gotten even worse on Monday afternoon, with a letter by her Vice President, Michel Temer, accusing the government of not trusting him or his party.
“I was always aware of your absolute distrust towards me and the PMDB. Distrust incompatible with what we did to keep the (PMDB) party’s support to your government,” stated Temer in the letter, made public on Monday afternoon.
Temer goes on to state that for Rousseff’s first term as President, he was seen as a ‘decorative’ VP, with no political power. The official says that when Rousseff needed him to be the coordinator and go-between the Executive office and Congress, he went willingly but that all the promises made the administration to Congressional representatives were not kept.
In all the VP lists eleven instances when the President, in his opinion, showed no confidence in her running mate. By late afternoon Rousseff’s allies were telling journalists that Temer’s letter was a signal that the PMDB party was distancing itself from the Administration.
Critics of the VP questioned his silence in the past few days in relation to the opening up of impeachment proceedings against the President, suggesting that the VP was maneuvering to take over the country’s top position. The PMDB is a party that has faced several power struggles within itself, with many political analysts referring to it as the ‘many parties under one coalition’.
Eduardo Cunha, the President of the Lower House, for example, is from the Rio de Janeiro PMDB and has become one of Rousseff’s fiercest enemies. Part of the PMDB Congressional representatives has consistently voted with the opposition parties in important legislative decisions.
The latest incident has widened the rift between the Administration and the PMDB, during a time when the President desperately needs loyal allies. President Rousseff, who before receiving the letter had told reporters that she had ‘no motive to doubt Temer’s loyalties’, did not publicly respond, choosing instead, say local media, a face-to-face meeting with her running mate.