Corruption eats away at Brazil's young government

The government of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has been plunged into the middle of an institutional crisis after six ministers resigned - five on corruption allegations - during just 10 months of her administration.

On October 26, Sports Minister Orlando Silva, a member of the Brazilian Communist Party, became the latest Cabinet official to step down, over allegations that he created an internal mafia that may have made away with as much as 16 million euros.

According to Luis Felipe Miguel, a professor at the University of Brazil, Rousseff has to try "to project an image of clean government through a coalition that is not so clean."

According to Miguel, the problems center on disputes over control among the coalition parties, and from arguments over what kind of benefits the groupings intend to get through sometimes unscrupulous means.

Economically, Brazil is doing well but the government has been crippled. The Latin American giant urgently needs political reform in order not to compromise its society, its industry or its trade.

"During the 10 months of Dilma's government there has been a clear pattern of criminal activity that plays against the taxpayer," O Globo wrote in an editorial last Thursday. Folha de São Paulo, meanwhile, asked: "When will the next scandal occur?"

Each new corruption case is bringing an increased threat to the system of party alliances that her predecessor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva built during his two presidential terms.

In the case of former chief of staff Antonio Palocci, not only was he accused of personal misconduct but he was also alleged to have created a web of corrupt officials throughout the ministries whose main job was to collect money for illegally financing the Workers Party (PT).

The allegations surrounding Dilma's former sports minister have led to a temporary halt in construction of several projects for the 2014 World Cup. The opposition has criticized the appointment of his predecessor, Aido Rebelo, who, like Silva, is also a Brazilian Communist Party (PCoB) member. Some critics say that if Silva had to resign because of a scandal that implicated the PCoB, the portfolio should be passed to another party.

But if Rousseff doesn't carry out broad political reform she will not be able to control the alliance of 10 parties that support her government - the PT only holds 83 of the 513 seats in the chamber of deputies.

Rousseff is trying to implement some changes, as various political commentators have noted over the last few days, including transferring to the presidency some powers that were given to the parties during Lula da Silva's tenure.