MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilians disenchanted with their elected officials and a majority believes “nothing will change”

When asked if they thought congress was acting on behalf of the public’s interest during the ongoing impeachment process, only 23% said yes and 63% said no.

Brazilians have become increasingly disappointed with politics and their elected politicians, according to an Ibope Intelligence opinion poll collecting reactions to the current political situations, which has a suspended president, Dilma Rousseff; an interim leader Michel Temer, and a divided Congress.

 When asked if they thought congress was acting on behalf of the public’s interest during the ongoing impeachment process, only 23% said yes and 63% said no.

Likewise only 26% believe that Brazil's politics will become honest, which is down from 44%, when the impeachment of president Fernando Collor in 1991. In effect, 53% said nothing will change in Brasilia, compared to 42% in the aftermath of Collor's removal from office and banned ten years from active politics.

Rousseff was impeached in the Lower House of Congress on April 17 to much fanfare in the streets and in the halls of congress. A Senate committee approved the impeachment and will set a date for Dilma’s trial, which will be overseen by a Supreme Court judge.

While Dilma was impeached for breaking the budget laws under Article 85 of the Brazilian constitution, not one of the congressional leaders that voted for her ouster cited her running afoul of fiscal responsibility laws as the reason.

Foreign investors are happy to see Dilma go because they believe it ends the gridlock in Congress. Most Brazilians also begrudgingly agree, judging by the most recent polls.

The country is engulfed in a political scandal not seen since the dying days of the military dictatorship, when millions took to the streets to demand political rights.

The majority of people interviewed by Ibope say congress is acting for their own benefit, 1,162 of the 2002 people surveyed said they were still in favor of impeachment, putting it at 58% of respondents.

Prior to impeachment, that number was closer to 68%, suggesting a decline in approval for impeachment since April 17, but still a sizable majority in favor.