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| Brazil’s Vice President Sees Influence Grow as Scandal Engulfs Dilma Rousseff | Brazil’s Vice President Sees Influence Grow as Scandal Engulfs Dilma Rousseff |
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| RIO DE JANEIRO — Few Brazilians gave much thought until recently to their vice president, a 74-year-old scholar of constitutional law with a bearing so formal that a political rival once compared him to “a butler from a horror movie.” | RIO DE JANEIRO — Few Brazilians gave much thought until recently to their vice president, a 74-year-old scholar of constitutional law with a bearing so formal that a political rival once compared him to “a butler from a horror movie.” |
| When the vice president, Michel Temer, did occasionally stray into the national spotlight, it was for his ventures into lyrical poetry (he published a book of his verses in 2013) or the attention attracted by his 32-year-old wife, Marcela, a former beauty pageant contestant who has his name tattooed on the nape of her neck. | When the vice president, Michel Temer, did occasionally stray into the national spotlight, it was for his ventures into lyrical poetry (he published a book of his verses in 2013) or the attention attracted by his 32-year-old wife, Marcela, a former beauty pageant contestant who has his name tattooed on the nape of her neck. |
| But Mr. Temer is now emerging from the shadows as President Dilma Rousseff faces a rebellion by parties in her coalition, an economy in decline and calls for her impeachment over a colossal graft scandal involving Petrobras, the government-controlled oil giant. Whether Ms. Rousseff stays in power or is ousted, her vice president is already seeing his influence grow, taking on a more active role in day-to-day governing while reaching out to both the administration’s supporters and opponents. | But Mr. Temer is now emerging from the shadows as President Dilma Rousseff faces a rebellion by parties in her coalition, an economy in decline and calls for her impeachment over a colossal graft scandal involving Petrobras, the government-controlled oil giant. Whether Ms. Rousseff stays in power or is ousted, her vice president is already seeing his influence grow, taking on a more active role in day-to-day governing while reaching out to both the administration’s supporters and opponents. |
| “Temer is clearly positioning himself for a range of scenarios including those in which he takes over as the next president of Brazil,” said David Fleischer, emeritus professor of political science at the University of Brasília. “He’s using his skills as a discreet negotiator in the meantime, enhancing his own power while others tighten the noose around the president.” | “Temer is clearly positioning himself for a range of scenarios including those in which he takes over as the next president of Brazil,” said David Fleischer, emeritus professor of political science at the University of Brasília. “He’s using his skills as a discreet negotiator in the meantime, enhancing his own power while others tighten the noose around the president.” |
| The political turmoil in Brazil reflects a souring of the national mood in Latin America’s largest country, which had risen in the previous decade as an economic and diplomatic powerhouse in the developing world. With stunning claims of graft surfacing almost on a weekly basis, Brazilians are now examining the possibility that two of the four presidents elected since democracy was re-established in the 1980s after a long dictatorship could fail to finish their terms. | |
| Ms. Rousseff insists that she will not be ousted, maneuvering to avoid the fate of Fernando Collor de Mello, the disgraced former president who resigned in 1992 in an influence-peddling scandal. (Mr. Collor de Mello, now a senator, is also under investigation over allegations that he was involved in the bribery scheme at Petrobras.) | Ms. Rousseff insists that she will not be ousted, maneuvering to avoid the fate of Fernando Collor de Mello, the disgraced former president who resigned in 1992 in an influence-peddling scandal. (Mr. Collor de Mello, now a senator, is also under investigation over allegations that he was involved in the bribery scheme at Petrobras.) |
| But in public statements, Mr. Temer seems to be signaling that Ms. Rousseff’s days as president may be numbered, and that his time may be coming. “It’s necessary for someone to have the capacity to reunify everyone,” Mr. Temer said this week about the tension gripping Brasília, without mentioning Ms. Rousseff as being that unifying figure. “Otherwise, we could enter into a disagreeable crisis for the country.” | But in public statements, Mr. Temer seems to be signaling that Ms. Rousseff’s days as president may be numbered, and that his time may be coming. “It’s necessary for someone to have the capacity to reunify everyone,” Mr. Temer said this week about the tension gripping Brasília, without mentioning Ms. Rousseff as being that unifying figure. “Otherwise, we could enter into a disagreeable crisis for the country.” |
| Mr. Temer, whose office did not respond to several requests for an interview, publicly expressed support for Ms. Rousseff after that statement, contending that the president would soon have the “extraordinary support of the population” and reverse a plunge in her approval ratings. But many observers still see Mr. Temer positioning himself for what comes next in Brasília. | Mr. Temer, whose office did not respond to several requests for an interview, publicly expressed support for Ms. Rousseff after that statement, contending that the president would soon have the “extraordinary support of the population” and reverse a plunge in her approval ratings. But many observers still see Mr. Temer positioning himself for what comes next in Brasília. |
| “Temer threw the president to the lions when he said that we need someone to unify the country,” Cássio Cunha Lima, an opposition senator, told reporters this week. | “Temer threw the president to the lions when he said that we need someone to unify the country,” Cássio Cunha Lima, an opposition senator, told reporters this week. |
| While no testimony has surfaced that Ms. Rousseff personally profited from the bribery scheme, political analysts say she faces an array of challenges at a time when disapproval of her government is building. | While no testimony has surfaced that Ms. Rousseff personally profited from the bribery scheme, political analysts say she faces an array of challenges at a time when disapproval of her government is building. |
| A public opinion survey by Datafolha, a Brazilian polling company, showed just 8 percent of Brazilians approving of Ms. Rousseff and 66 percent supporting the opening of impeachment proceedings. The poll, conducted on Aug. 4 and 5 in interviews with 3,363 people, had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus two percentage points. | A public opinion survey by Datafolha, a Brazilian polling company, showed just 8 percent of Brazilians approving of Ms. Rousseff and 66 percent supporting the opening of impeachment proceedings. The poll, conducted on Aug. 4 and 5 in interviews with 3,363 people, had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus two percentage points. |
| Some of Ms. Rousseff’s supporters liken the impeachment talk to that of a slow-motion coup, comparing it to the 2012 ouster of Fernando Lugo in neighboring Paraguay. And even some critics of Ms. Rousseff warn that removing the president could set the stage for a more intense crisis. | Some of Ms. Rousseff’s supporters liken the impeachment talk to that of a slow-motion coup, comparing it to the 2012 ouster of Fernando Lugo in neighboring Paraguay. And even some critics of Ms. Rousseff warn that removing the president could set the stage for a more intense crisis. |
| “Post-impeachment risks being even more tumultuous than the actual moment,” the columnist Roberto Pompeu de Toledo wrote in Veja, a magazine that has staked out a position opposing Ms. Rousseff. | “Post-impeachment risks being even more tumultuous than the actual moment,” the columnist Roberto Pompeu de Toledo wrote in Veja, a magazine that has staked out a position opposing Ms. Rousseff. |
| Either way, Ms. Rousseff faces various legal challenges complicating her presidency. | Either way, Ms. Rousseff faces various legal challenges complicating her presidency. |
| The Federal Court of Accounts, an auditing body tied to the legislative branch, is examining whether Ms. Rousseff improperly used funds in 2014 from giant state banks to cover budget shortfalls. A ruling against Ms. Rousseff could open the way for impeachment proceedings, potentially allowing Mr. Temer to take her place, though she could appeal at the Supreme Court. | The Federal Court of Accounts, an auditing body tied to the legislative branch, is examining whether Ms. Rousseff improperly used funds in 2014 from giant state banks to cover budget shortfalls. A ruling against Ms. Rousseff could open the way for impeachment proceedings, potentially allowing Mr. Temer to take her place, though she could appeal at the Supreme Court. |
| Separately, the Superior Electoral Court, which oversees national elections in Brazil, is reviewing claims that Ms. Rousseff’s re-election campaign in 2014 accepted illicit donations from construction companies ensnared in the Petrobras scandal. A ruling by the court could call for Ms. Rousseff to step down along with Mr. Temer since they ran on the same ticket. | Separately, the Superior Electoral Court, which oversees national elections in Brazil, is reviewing claims that Ms. Rousseff’s re-election campaign in 2014 accepted illicit donations from construction companies ensnared in the Petrobras scandal. A ruling by the court could call for Ms. Rousseff to step down along with Mr. Temer since they ran on the same ticket. |
| Under this scenario, Eduardo Cunha, the speaker of the lower house, could ascend to the presidency. But Mr. Cunha is under investigation over allegations that he accepted a $5 million bribe. The Supreme Electoral Court could also call for new elections, potentially bolstering Aécio Neves, the senator from the Brazilian Social Democracy Party who narrowly lost to Ms. Rousseff last October, or even hand the presidency to Mr. Neves. | |
| Meanwhile, opposition legislators are seeking to start impeachment proceedings against Ms. Rousseff. For the time being, congressional leaders appear to be resisting these efforts, emphasizing that the president has not explicitly been linked to any illegal activity. | Meanwhile, opposition legislators are seeking to start impeachment proceedings against Ms. Rousseff. For the time being, congressional leaders appear to be resisting these efforts, emphasizing that the president has not explicitly been linked to any illegal activity. |
| Some in Brasília say that Ms. Rousseff’s opponents may merely be biding their time as the political crisis simmers and the president’s coalition comes under stress, afflicting her capacity to govern. Two parties, the Democratic Labor Party and the Brazilian Labor Party, bolted this week from the coalition in Congress with Ms. Rousseff’s leftist Workers Party. | Some in Brasília say that Ms. Rousseff’s opponents may merely be biding their time as the political crisis simmers and the president’s coalition comes under stress, afflicting her capacity to govern. Two parties, the Democratic Labor Party and the Brazilian Labor Party, bolted this week from the coalition in Congress with Ms. Rousseff’s leftist Workers Party. |
| In some ways, this leaves the president even more reliant on Mr. Temer, whom Ms. Rousseff named as her chief negotiator with the fractious Congress this year. Before becoming her vice president in 2011, he was the leader for a decade of the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, which has anchored Ms. Rousseff’s coalition and controls both houses of Congress. | In some ways, this leaves the president even more reliant on Mr. Temer, whom Ms. Rousseff named as her chief negotiator with the fractious Congress this year. Before becoming her vice president in 2011, he was the leader for a decade of the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, which has anchored Ms. Rousseff’s coalition and controls both houses of Congress. |
| On Friday, Mr. Temer publicly denied speculation that he was dropping the job of negotiating with Congress. | On Friday, Mr. Temer publicly denied speculation that he was dropping the job of negotiating with Congress. |
| Some observers are questioning how Mr. Temer can speak of unifying Brazil when powerful figures in his own party, known as the PMDB, have actively been sabotaging Ms. Rousseff’s efforts to win approval of austerity measures. | Some observers are questioning how Mr. Temer can speak of unifying Brazil when powerful figures in his own party, known as the PMDB, have actively been sabotaging Ms. Rousseff’s efforts to win approval of austerity measures. |
| “Michel Temer should make an appeal to his own party, not to the institutions,” said Marcelo Rubens Paiva, a writer and political commentator. | “Michel Temer should make an appeal to his own party, not to the institutions,” said Marcelo Rubens Paiva, a writer and political commentator. |
| Standing 5 feet 7 inches tall, Mr. Temer, the youngest of eight children of Maronite Christians who emigrated from Lebanon to São Paulo in the 1920s, cuts an unusual figure in Brazilian politics. Married three times, he has five children of his own; several are older than his wife, who sometimes towers over him in photographs. | Standing 5 feet 7 inches tall, Mr. Temer, the youngest of eight children of Maronite Christians who emigrated from Lebanon to São Paulo in the 1920s, cuts an unusual figure in Brazilian politics. Married three times, he has five children of his own; several are older than his wife, who sometimes towers over him in photographs. |
| Mr. Temer has remained relatively unscathed in a scandal-plagued political culture. He reportedly figured on a list of politicians who received illicit campaign donations in the 1990s from Camargo Corrêa, a construction company, but the investigation failed to produce charges against him, according to news reports. | Mr. Temer has remained relatively unscathed in a scandal-plagued political culture. He reportedly figured on a list of politicians who received illicit campaign donations in the 1990s from Camargo Corrêa, a construction company, but the investigation failed to produce charges against him, according to news reports. |
| Political analysts describe Mr. Temer as a centrist avoiding the conservative drift of some in his party. He holds a doctorate in constitutional law from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, and still speaks in the cautious manner of a jurist, avoiding the outbursts and insults that sometimes characterize political life in Brasília. | Political analysts describe Mr. Temer as a centrist avoiding the conservative drift of some in his party. He holds a doctorate in constitutional law from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, and still speaks in the cautious manner of a jurist, avoiding the outbursts and insults that sometimes characterize political life in Brasília. |
| “Michel is only daring in his amorous conquests,” Geddel Vieira Lima, a politician from Bahia State who is a friend of Mr. Temer, told Piauí, a Brazilian magazine. “When it comes to politics, he is very prudent.” | “Michel is only daring in his amorous conquests,” Geddel Vieira Lima, a politician from Bahia State who is a friend of Mr. Temer, told Piauí, a Brazilian magazine. “When it comes to politics, he is very prudent.” |