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Weekly Report - 20 February 2014 (WR-14-07)

BRAZIL: Azeredo steps down to take heat off PSDB

Eduardo Azeredo, the former governor of Minas Gerais, gave many reasons for stepping down from his position as a congressman for the Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira (PSDB) on 19 February. In a letter to his colleagues he cited ill health and a reluctance to subject himself to abuse in the congressional chamber which, he wrote, was subject to “political pressures”. Leaving aside the obvious question as to what a congress is for, if not to respond to “political pressures”, Azeredo’s letter neglected to mention the pressure that he was indubitably subject to from his own party. By standing down, he could avoid prosecution by the supreme court, and disarm opponents seeking to attack PSDB presidential hopeful Aécio Neves over the so-called ‘mensalão mineiro’.

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