Brazilian president in a party crisis



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The 63-year-old right-wing president, who has just stepped into office for the past six weeks, spoke with his government's top officials on Friday and Saturday to try to draw a line in his country. the case, after his main allies turned against him.

In this archival photo taken on November 7, 2018, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro makes gestures as he delivers a joint press conference with Michel Temer after a meeting in Brasilia. Picture: AFP.

RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, one of his son politicians and his ultra-conservative party, were caught in a crisis Sunday by a campaign financing scandal threatening the latter's image against corruption.

The 63-year-old right-wing president, who has just stepped into office for the past six weeks, spoke with his government's top officials on Friday and Saturday to try to draw a line in his country. the case, after his main allies turned against him.

Brazilian media, citing unnamed government sources, said the result could be the forced exit on Monday of one of his ministers, Gustavo Bebianno, former leader of his social-liberal party, who would be suspected of "deadly". misused campaign funds during the election last year.

The fury could distract the president's attention as he tries to focus on other priorities, including a bill to reform the unbearable Brazilian pension system, and to heighten the pressure on the president. Venezuela as part of efforts by the United States to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro.

Bebianno had tried to downplay the campaign's funding allegations. He claimed to have spoken to Bolsonaro several times while the president had spent the first half of that month in the hospital after a stomach operation.

But one of Bolsonaro's sons, Carlos, denied on Twitter that discussions have taken place and accused Bebianno of "lying."

This triggered a storm that divided Bolsonaro's allies.

Rodrigo Maia, speaker at the lower house of Congress and influential figure in the reform of the pension system, accused the president of using Carlos Bolsonaro – a state legislator with no official position of the federal government – to "ask a minister to resign" rather than finding a solution for himself.

"If there is a problem, he (Bolsonaro) must find a solution, he can not … bring in his family because it creates insecurity," Maia told the Globo News channel .

SCANDAL DAMAGE

Bebianno met Bolsonaro on Friday to try to save his job. He then told a Globo News reporter: "I do not know" he would stay at his post.

The minister, charged with helping to direct the president's office, reportedly confided to a confidant that he had regretted helping to get Bolsonaro elected.

"I never imagined that he would be such a weak president," the G1's news site said.

The scandal has highlighted an alleged campaign funding tactic by some parties in Brazil to divert funds from false candidates who have few votes.

The Minister of Tourism of Bolsonaro, Marcelo Alvaro Antonio, who belongs to the PSL, is also suspected of having resorted to this tactic, although he denies it.

The charges brought against them and the storm they caused are detrimental to Bolsonaro, who comfortably won the elections last October by committing largely to eliminating corruption.

This reputation was further tainted by suspicions of illegal financial transactions involving another son of Bolsonaro's son, Flavio, a senator.

A third political son, Eduardo, a federal legislator, has adopted a nationalist political platform created by Steve Bannon, the former strategist of US President Donald Trump.

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