Marina Silva Criticizes Trivializing the Term Coup in Brazil

By Jay Forte, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Popular former senator in Brazil, Marina Silva, who ran for president in 2014 elections, has criticized the current vice president Michel Temer’s yesterday (April 30), and the casual use of the word golpe (coup). Calling for new elections in the case of a Rousseff impeachment, Silva said she believes a popular vote is the more legitimate way for the country find a new leader.

“There’s been an oversimplification of the word coup. They are trivializing something very dramatic in the history of the country. In a little while the child picks up the bullet from the other at recess and begins to say it was coup,” said Silva.

She added, “It seems that we are not even honoring the memory of those who suffered so much to overthrow the dictatorship, which, in fact […] overthrew our democracy.”

A candidate for the presidency in 2014 with the PSB party, Silva again defended the call for new presidential election. She added that the constitutional path must be defined by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), with the cancellation of the Dilma-Temer platform – if is proven that the corruption money was used to fund the candidacy of President of the Republic.

“Only a new election can give legitimacy and credibility to a transition agenda. The impeachment reaches the legality but not the purpose. I’ve never seen the Vice President Michel Temer make a criticism of President Dilma. Quite the opposite. Until yesterday, they were working together.”

According to Marina Silva, before saying she would run for president, it is necessary to give Brazilians the opportunity to vote again. Marina Silva argued that Brazilian society represents the most important guideline to exit the crisis, and that “all parties and leaders must commit to them.”

Full name, Maria Osmarina Marina Silva Vaz de Lima, her first attempt at the presidency occurred in 2010, as the PV (Green Party) candidate, and surprised many by coming in third with a high number of votes. She is currently the leader of the Rede Sustentabilidade (“Sustainability Network”) party, which was was launched in Brasilia in 2013, but not allowed to participate in the 2014 elections.

Silva created an alliance with the PSB (Socialist Party), and in 2014 the untimely death of presidential hopeful, Eduardo Campos (PSB) shook the election just seven weeks before the first round of voting by placing his running mate Silva onto the presidential ticket.