so0s2016 ‘Thehouse of lower cards: thoinlorationalrepercussion of President Ditmas impactnert. | ‘The house of lower cards: the international repercussion of President Dilma’s impeachment. By Daniel Teixeira da Costa AraujoLi] ‘The opening scene: once upon a time... ‘No one understands these days why people are still interested in House of Cards. Don't they receive any news about Brazilian polities? iil (FISCHERMANN, 2016). So begins Thomas Fischermann his article on 12° March 2016 for the German Zeit. For many, struggling against the worst economic crisis since the Stock Market Crash of 1929 Brazil — one of the most important developing countries — was the focus of attention worldwide on April 17th and on 11 May 2016 because of the Congress voting to open impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff and has been observed since then. At the same time the country is facing its most serious political crisis since the new Constitution approval in 1988 and is dealing with its largest known corruption scandal striking the whole party spectrum even though the local media insist on targeting Roussef’s party, Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT). Viewed about seven years ago as a taking off economy by The Economist, Brazil is now paralyzed and divided between the President's supporters denouncing a constitutional coup d'état and her opponents claiming about the legality of the process. The Brazilian Congress approval was just the first step to impeach Rousseff, a process that required the reached two thirds of votes in the Lower House on April 17 and a simple majority in the Federal Senate on May 11* starting a trial removing her for up to 180 days before the final decision that needs the qualified majority of two thirds of the Senate. ‘The current paper has as its main purpose presenting the international repercussion of Rousseff's impeachment process eovered by the international press after the Brazilian Congress gave its agreement to open the trial. Tk is useful to bring to view how this case has been covered abroad to see the international perception about it and to escape from local media's passions and their own interests. It does not mean international agencies are totally independent and impartial, maybe it could be said more accurately they are less engaged in the inner context and its social and economie pressures. At the same time, while the Brazilian press is committed in showing each everyday brand-new information, international agencies tend to summarize information avoiding details to highlight key-points indicating crucial changes. However their ideological tendency ~ once at times it shows clear value judgements — has also to be taken into account to understand crities and solutions offered such as it can be seen in The Financial Times statements like “Investors welcomed the impeachment process as it promises to remove a president whose interventionism they say has driven Brazil's economy into the doldrums’ (LEAHY; PEARSON, 2016) once investors might be also scared away by political instability as seen in Brazil. As observed by Perry Anderson, that is part of a process in which ‘the local media — amplified by the business press in London and New York ~ [vituperate] the dangers of statism’ (ANDERSON, 2016). Anyway it is worth to dissolve the manicheaist polarization of opinion currently existing in Brazil using the international press coverage ‘The sereenplay: the charge of the accusation “The charge of the accusation is based on crime of responsibility of having tried ‘to cover up budget gaps with money from government banks’ (PHILLIPS; MIROFF. 2016) and that is presented with total consensus by the different newspapers, as well as the contradiction due to deputies concentrating their votes on attacking corruption on 17 April, while the senators on Rousse’s administration economic disaster on 11* May. That's why Le Monde opens its editorial on 18* April asserting ‘Rousseff is accused of having embellished the publie accounts, but she is paying speaclly for her political mistakes'il] (Le Brésil au bord. 2016), and ends up giving apropos some reasons for her loss of political support: ‘an expansionary fiseal policy at inopportune moment, manipulation ofthe calculations of the primary surpluses fostering mistrust, artifical control of electricity and oil prices, which will contribute afterwards to rising inflation Liv] (Le Brésl au bord... 2016) Phillips and Miroff observed that ‘[tJhe specifies of those charges were barely referred to during Sunday's proceedings’, that comes to say in Phillips and Miroffs opinion that vote ‘turned into a visceral repudiation of the 1g years that she and Lula have been in power’ (PITILLIPS; MIROFF, 2016) while for Jacobs of the New 1 seguir eps:spotenclasmdias.comipublicacces/anigesthe-house-of-lawer-cards-he-interational-repercussicr-of-presidan-diimas-impeachment! aso0s2016 ‘Thehouse of lower cards: thoinlorationalrepercussion of President Ditmas impactnert. | Times, corruption scandal, shrinking economy and spreading disillusionment would be t! ° on Seguir “” impeach the president, once ‘[...] the government lost legitimacy, credibility and the ability 12016). This is mightily problematic once it shows the accusation seems to be just an excuse to democratically elected who did lose political support, what will probably undermine democracy that has not been considered fragile anymore. That is such a dangerous behaviow legally include accusations not being part of the original denunciation under risk of hart defense and weakening the legality of the process. Also as stated Jacobs ‘the move to impeack cause lasting damage to Brazil's young democracy, because from now on, any moment tk "unpopular president, there will be pressure to start an impeachment process’ (JACOBS, 2016). On the other hand Le Monde highlights Rousseff is not the first Brazilian pres accused of. However The French newspaper itemizes other factors susceptible to blame her such as the corruption in the Brazilian Oil Company Petrobras, a politic class implied in multiple wrongdoings, and the desperate decision of nominating Lula to a minister position supposedly to escape from judge Sergio Moro’s legal proceedings in the Car Wash operation. The New York Times also emphasizes experts and political analysts are divided about the juridical basis of the impeachment drive and notes ‘the budgetary sleight of hand that Ms. Rousseff is accused of employing to address the deficit has been used by many elected officials, though not on so large a scale’ (JACOBS, 2016). In that sense Le Monde’s editorial goes straight to the point of denouncing the budgetary sleight of hand as a simple pretext. Following the idea of a pretext The Guardian affirms in its editorial on 12" May Roussef started losing control due to the economie decline, but also to the independence granted to police and prosecutors whose consequence was ‘the realisation by many politicians that prosecutors could soon catch more and more of them in its net’ (The Guardian view on..., 2016). So pursuing the impeachment of the President according to the British newspaper would be a way to take control of the political process, avoiding that possibility and distracting attention from publie opinion. dent to use the proceeding she is A slapstick comedy: the votes justification in the Lower House Something that impressed negatively worldwide any person interested in this voting was — as showed the US News ~ the fact that in the Lower House ‘[iJmpeachment supporters invoked God, family and Brazil to justify their votes, often saying impeachment would help put an end to endemic corruption in the count (BARCHFIELD; SAVARESE. 2016), the real reason for the voting having been forgotten, as said Marfa Martin from El Pafs: ‘Gone are fiscal maneuvers, the real reason to open the process, completely forgotten by the noble (MARTIN, 2016). Martin does not hide her sarcasm comparing the lawmakers’ behaviour with children in a Brazilian popular 80’s TV show: ‘Parliamentarians reminded viewers of Xuxa, taking advantage of ‘their direct participation in the program to greet eternally their mother, their husband, their lover, their cousin, their grandson, their neighbour, their friends and doorman‘{vil (MARTIN, 2016). members! For the Brazilians it was such a clear example that their representatives work for their own interests rather than {for the purpose they were elected for. Another negative aspect was the atmosphere in the Congress on 17 April classified by Der Taggespiegel as a play [Theaterstiick] or by El Pats and New York Times as a circus, that al ‘times exposed according to Jonathan Watts from The Guardian ‘[...] the farcical side of Brazil's democracy, such as the Women’s party that has only male deputies’ (WATTS, 2016). Admittedly the negative repercussion of the atmosphere in the Lower House influenced the Senate to be something more civilised on 11° May. Joe Leahy for the Financial Times on 17% April painted an emblematic image of Brazil when he described the carnival-like atmosphere that could be seen in front of the house of congress whose front area divided by a metal grid was guarded by riot troops: ‘In spite of an oppressive sun, the atmosphere was carnival-like, with organisers mixing live entertainment with political speeches and some protesters drinking beer’ (LEAHY, 2016). In effect, although. this appearance of relaxation, there is no consensus about that issue with the country living in a mood of political tension in the streets ‘The main characters: the good, the bad and the ugly ‘The irony is until now Rousseff has not been accused of stealing — at least not yet, what is important to say regarding the Brazilian current events’ complex plot — although the Petrobras scandal implieated important members of her party, whilst ‘[...] the lawmakers leading the impeachment push, more than half of whom are eps:spotenclasmdias.compublicacceslarigesthe-house-o-lawer-cards-he-interationa-repercussicr-of-presidant-