Governors send Rousseff manifesto against impeachment

Governors from 15 states and the Federal District sent Tuesday (Dec. 8) to President Dilma Rousseff a letter in which they oppose her impeachment. In it, they argue this process should only be resorted to in case there is “clear and unquestionable proof” of acts consciously perpetrated by the government leader which violate the Constitution.

“The impeachment process, started Wednesday (02/12), lacks this kind of foundation. No act by the president can be identified which qualifies as a crime of responsibility,” the document reads.

In the letter, entitled Carta pela Legalidade (Portuguese for “letter for lawfulness”), governors acknowledge the current difficulties facing the country and state that the answer should comply with the law.

They stress that “Brazilian History is resentful of the several authoritarian break-ups and coups-d'Etat which hindered the consolidation of our democracy in a more lasting way. That is so much the case that this is the longest period of institutional normality in our history, an achievement made possible through the struggle of major sectors of society.”

The state leaders go on to acknowledge the challenges the country is being force to tackle, and argue, “We're fighting to overcome them. We believe nonetheless that the answers to the crisis must not disregard our institutions and the observance of the law. Therefore, mindful of our institutional role, we urge the country to engage in dialogue and the t construction of alternatives so that Brazil may resume its economic growth with income distribution.”

Of the 16 governors who signed the manifesto, four are of President Rousseff's Workers' Party (PT), and three come from vice-President Michel Temer's Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB).

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira

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