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President José Sarney, who succeeded the popular Tancredo Neves when the latter died in April, having barely assumed office, has weathered his first public tests and appears to be solidly in command. It is true that most Brazilian politicians have bent over backward not to disturb the transition of power following Neves’s fatal illness. But now a public-opinion poll shows that 51 per cent of Brazilians think Sarney is doing well. Fewer than 5 per cent think he has done poorly. The situation, however, has increased the pressure for Brazilian heads of government to be elected by direct popular vote (Neves and Sarney were chosen by a college of electors). A new constitution would be necessary to bring this about, and jockeying for its formulation has already begun. The army is said to be against the introduction of direct popular elections next year because such an early return to the polls might denote instability. This question of constitutional change looks like becoming the meat of the new government’s first major crisis.

There seems little doubt that Communist Party leader Mikhail Gorbachev will assume the presidency of the Soviet Union when the Supreme Soviet meets in July. He would succeed President Chernenko, who died earlier this year. It was Gorbachev himself who nominated Chernenko for the office in 1984, and at that time he referred to the desirability of the same man’s holding both the Party leadership and the presidency, especially when it came to the conduct of foreign affairs.

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President José Sarney, who succeeded the popular Tancredo Neves when the latter died in April, having barely assumed office, has weathered his first public tests and appears to be solidly in command. It is true that most Brazilian politicians have bent over backward not to disturb the transition of power following Neves’s fatal illness. But now a public-opinion poll shows that 51 per cent of Brazilians think Sarney is doing well. Fewer than 5 per cent think he has done poorly. The situation, however, has increased the pressure for Brazilian heads of government to be elected by direct popular vote (Neves and Sarney were chosen by a college of electors). A new constitution would be necessary to bring this about, and jockeying for its formulation has already begun. The army is said to be against the introduction of direct popular elections next year because such an early return to the polls might denote instability. This question of constitutional change looks like becoming the meat of the new government’s first major crisis.

There seems little doubt that Communist Party leader Mikhail Gorbachev will assume the presidency of the Soviet Union when the Supreme Soviet meets in July. He would succeed President Chernenko, who died earlier this year. It was Gorbachev himself who nominated Chernenko for the office in 1984, and at that time he referred to the desirability of the same man’s holding both the Party leadership and the presidency, especially when it came to the conduct of foreign affairs.