Cláudio Lembo Criticizes Brasília as a Political Sewer in Scathing Interview

In a wide-ranging interview, former São Paulo governor and constitutional law professor Cláudio Lembo, 82, delivers a scathing critique of Brazil's political system. He describes the country as reactionary, conservative, and extremely backward, arguing that democracy only functioned while the economy was strong. Lembo identifies the concentration of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches in Brasília as a major flaw, calling the capital a "sewer" of political and economic prostitution. He blames former president Juscelino Kubitschek's decision to move the capital from Rio de Janeiro, which he says destroyed that city and created a dysfunctional political enclave. Lembo expresses no hope for short-term change, citing a discredited Congress, a discredited Judiciary, and censured police forces. He agrees with former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's criticism of Operation Lava Jato, condemning its use of coercive police actions as a human rights violation. Lembo also criticizes the Supreme Court for overstepping its bounds and judicializing politics, and he laments the lack of leadership, predicting Brazil will suffer for another 10 to 20 years. He sees a global trend toward conservatism and warns that the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff set a dangerous precedent for Latin America.