Brazil's chief justice comes out for political reform

Criado em 15/10/13 10h53 e atualizado em 15/10/13 18h15
Por Flávia Villela Edição:s Fonte:Agência Brasil

Rio de Janeiro – In his address at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference on Monday (October 14), in Rio de Janeiro, the chief justice at the Brazilian Supreme Court (“STF”), Joaquim Barbosa, criticized Brazil's political system and urged for a political reform.

“Mandatory voting; ineligibility of standalone, unaffiliated candidacies; astoundingly numerous political parties; commodification of politics with deeply ingrained clientelism in some political parties; atomized votes in proportional elections – this is only to name a few of Brazil's political flaws,” he said, adding that “the people have been systematically ignored and sidelined in political decisions.”

The chief justice criticized his country's sluggish legal system and what he regards as “a decadent bachelor class” that is lenient with impunity, too concerned with meaningless scholarship and disconnected from reality.

Barbosa also pointed out that the country has only three major newspapers, which is detrimental to diversity in the media. “The media fails to reflect the special cultural and linguistic character of many Brazilian regions,” he remarked. “While blacks and mulattos account for about 50% of the population, they are scarcely seen in newsrooms, media rooms, on TV as anchorpeople, or in leading media roles” he said, arguing that this makes blacks largely underrepresented in Brazil's media.

Asked about a preferred presidential pre-candidate, Barbosa answered that “he utterly disgusts Brazilian politics,” and denied having any political aspirations that could make him quit the Supreme Court. However, at age 59, he conceded that he does not plan to hold his STF office through age 70, the house's maximum age limit.

“I have no intention of running for president at the moment. And in 2018 I'll be on some beach,” he joked when asked about the 2018 elections.

Joaquim Barbosa made the ​​headlines during the trials of the case known as the "mensalão", a political corruption scandal that led to high-rank members of the Workers' Party (“PT”) being convicted of embezzlement of public funds in exchange for political support from other parties. The chief justice became notorious for his ardent determination to convict the defendants, who included two of PT's top leaders – José Dirceu, former Chief of Staff under president Lula, and deputy José Genoíno, the party chairman back then.

Editors: Beto Coura / Olga Bardawil
Translator: Mayra Borges

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