Public Rage Catching Up With Brazil’s Congress
Paulo Whitaker/Reuters
A protester faced off against the police before a soccer match in Fortaleza, Brazil, on Thursday.
By SIMON ROMERO
Published: June 27, 2013 2 Comments
RIO DE JANEIRO — One politician was elected to Brazil’s Congress while under investigation for murder after having an adversary killed with a chain saw. Another is wanted by Interpol after being found guilty of diverting more than $10 million from a public road project to offshore bank accounts.
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Mauricio Lima for The New York Times
Romário de Souza Faria, a lawmaker and former soccer star, has criticized World Cup spending.
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And Brazil’s highest court, the Supreme Federal Tribunal, convicted another congressman of having poor female constituents, who could not afford more children, surgically sterilized in exchange for their votes.
Across the nation, protesters keep taking to the streets by the thousands, venting their anger at a broad range of politicians and problems, including high taxes and deplorable public services. But a special ire has been reserved for Congress and its penchant for sheltering dozens of generously paid legislators who have been charged — and sometimes even convicted — of crimes like money laundering, bribery, drug trafficking, kidnapping and murder.
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