Marina Lopes, Washington Post May 2, 2017.  BRASILIA — The messy business of governing Brazil, a country with 35 active political parties, has long taken place far from the symmetrical towers and domes of Congress that dominate the capital’s skyline. Instead, backroom deals have been the norm, with the country’s most powerful politicians and business leaders deciding the affairs of government over boozy lunches, steak dinners or drinks in dimly lit hotel bars.   See full story.

Photo: The  Federal Senate, with the National Congress Towers at left (both designed by Oscar Niemeyer) and the Ministries Esplanade at right; Brasilia, Brazil.  Credit: ©© Aidan Wakely-Mulroney