Luciano Huck recalls FHC's criticisms of Congress and defends changes in the political system

TV host Luciano Huck criticized Brazil's political system this Saturday, the 5th, on his X profile (formerly Twitter). Recalling an excerpt from former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso's participation in the program Roda Viva in 1993, where he criticized the National Congress, Huck stated that “coalition presidentialism has become collision presidentialism” and defended a change, without specifying which one.

In the excerpt, FHC, who held the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, states that Brazil's political system was "confusing" because of the increased power of Congress. The interview took place on the eve of the 1993 plebiscite that chose Brazil's political system.

“Our current (political) regime is neither presidential nor parliamentary, it is a confusing 'congressualism', in which Congress has greatly increased its power to say no, to veto, but has not increased its responsibility in the decision”, says FHC in the video.

The plebiscite was held after Brazil's redemocratization. The majority of voters voted in favor of the republican regime and the presidential system, the manner in which the country had been governed since the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889.

In the post, Huck says that FHC's response remains valid today. "When a diagnosis made 32 years ago – by someone with knowledge and common sense like President FHC – remains current, it is a sign that we have failed to build solutions," he wrote.

“There is still time to change. The challenge now is to restore common sense and dialogue, before it becomes just a presidential system of confusion,” he added.

The statement by Huck, who considered running for president in the 2018 and 2022 elections, comes amid the clash between the Lula government and the National Congress over the decrees that deal with the Tax on Financial Transactions (IOF). Congress overturned the government's decrees, which responded with a lawsuit in the Supreme Federal Court (STF).

Minister Alexandre de Moraes, responsible for the case at the STF, ordered the suspension of the decrees and the Congressional veto and scheduled a conciliation hearing between the Executive and Legislative branches on the matter for the 15th.

The differences between the two branches of government also led to clashes on social media, with a campaign by government members criticizing Congress, especially President Hugo Motta (Republicans).