An adroit ruling by the Brazilian Supreme Court on Wednesday averted a constitutional crisis between the judiciary and the Senate. In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court ruled that Senate President Renan Calheiros may continue to preside over the Senate but that he is ineligible to succeed to the Brazilian presidency, even on an acting basis. The ruling overturned a Tuesday injunction by Supreme Court Justice Marco Aurélio Mello removing Calheiros entirely from his Senate job. A crisis loomed when Calheiros said he would refuse to obey the court order. Wednesday, Calheiros signaled that he will accept the new ruling by the full court. Mello sought to remove Calheiros from the scene completely because of multiple investigations into the senator’s financial affairs.
Link to government news agency release
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