Facing Impeachment, Rio Governor Attends Assembly of God Service, Asks for Support

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIl – The target of an impeachment petition in the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (ALERJ) and of an inquiry in the Office of the Prosecutor General (PGR) investigating corruption in Health in his administration, Governor Wilson Witzel, of the Christian Social Party (PSC), on Sunday visited the Assembly of God Ministério Madureira, in the North Zone.

A Roman Catholic, the former federal Judge was accompanied by First Lady Helena Witzel, also under investigation. Pastor Everaldo Pereira, head of the PSC and main political coordinator of the Guanabara Palace, joined the couple. Headed by Bishop Manoel Ferreira and his son, Abner, the temple is part of the pilgrimage itinerary of candidates in an election campaign in search of evangelicals’ votes.

Witzel spoke to the faithful but did not mention the impeachment. He only said that “God is taking care of everything.” Earlier, he joined the prayers. However, behind the scenes, the governor’s visit to the service had one purpose: to seal an agreement with the Assembly of God to help him save himself from impeachment at ALERJ.

Witzel wants Abner to intercede with Federal Deputy Otoni de Paula to try to persuade Bolsonarist deputies to vote against his removal. Also a pastor of the Assembly, Otoni is one of President Jair Bolsonaro’s main supporters in Congress; however, the deputy is being investigated by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) for support and funding of anti-democratic activities.

Allies in the past, Witzel and Bolsonaro are now adversaries. Otoni has attacked Witzel on social media several times. The Governor, in turn, lodged a criminal complaint with the STF against the deputy for slander, insult, and defamation.

Otoni said that the request has not yet reached him: “The request was born dead. It is one thing for Abner to pray and welcome him to church. It is the role the bishop always plays, to respect the authorities no matter how serious his problem (Witzel’s) is. If the governor asked Abner, I am sure it will not reach me. But if the request comes from someone else, what will I say? Where am I gonna send it? To hell? It’s absurd, ridiculous.”

The Mayor of São João de Meriti, a city in the suburban Baixada Fluminense area, Dr. João took part in the service alongside Witzel, Helena, Everaldo, and Abner. He is a pre-candidate for re-election and wants the governor’s endorsement. In exchange, Dr. João pledged to secure at least one vote for Witzel in the ALERJ: that of Deputy and friend Valdecy da Saúde.

In June, Valdecy was one of 69 (out of 70, in total) deputies who voted for the opening of impeachment proceedings against Witzel. To the faithful, in the pulpit, Dr. João stated that Witzel has been experiencing “difficult times”. “They were lonely decisions, but thank God they worked,” the mayor declared, failing to provide details.

ALERJ has appealed the decision of STF Chief Justice Dias Toffoli ordering the creation of a new special committee to analyze Witzel’s impeachment process. The Assembly calls for Toffoli’s preliminary decision to be “fully reconsidered” and for the previously formed special committee to be reinstated. “Reconsider the decision that granted the preliminary order in this Rcl No. 42.358-RJ, thus reinstating the composition and operation of the Impeachment Special Committee,” reads the petition submitted by the ALERJ to the STF.

With the end of the judicial recess on Saturday, the original rapporteur of the case, Justice Luiz Fux, will examine the deputies’ appeal. Toffoli’s injunction was granted after a request lodged by Witzel’s defense counsel. According to the governor’s attorneys, there are irregularities in the course of the case. In parallel, the governor is negotiating positions and secretariats with deputies to avert his impeachment.

In the 2018 election, Manoel Ferreira, national president of the Assemblies of God, supported Jair Bolsonaro. The Madureira church was once widely attended by political leaders who are now imprisoned for corruption. Among them are: the ex-governor of Rio Sérgio Cabral; the ex-president of ALERJ Jorge Picciani; and the ex-president of the Chamber of Deputies Eduardo Cunha.

Witzel took office in January 2019. He was elected the year before due to the support of the Bolsonaro clan. In less than two years in office, there has been a flurry of denunciations. Witzel was the target of Operation Placebo, an action by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office and the Federal Police that linked the governor to fraud in the construction of field hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients.

The current administration is also the target of two other operations: Mercadores do Caos e Favorito, which led to the arrests of entrepreneur Mário Peixoto, the government’s main supplier of outsourced labor, and of ex-Secretary of Health Edmar Santos, among others suspected of embezzling public money amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Source: Veja