Almost half of the subtitles will not receive party funding – 02/22/2023 – Politics

Almost half of the country’s 31 parties will be left out of the distribution of the party fund starting this month for not meeting the barrier clause in last year’s elections. The value of the fund this year is close to R$ 1.2 billion.

17 subtitles will be entitled to portions of the fund, including those that formed federations with larger associations in order not to fail to receive the amounts.

This is the case of the PV and the PC of the B with the PT; of Citizenship with the PSDB and of the Network with PSOL.

Another 14 parties will be left out of the division of that amount, a new situation for part of the parties that were financed by the fund.

In January, before the start of application of the new rule, 22 parties still received the party fund, according to the TSE (Superior Electoral Court).

Parties such as Solidarity, PTB, Patriota and PSC are in this situation. The Pros, which would also no longer receive, joined Solidarity.

Novo was entitled to receive the fund, although its use is vetoed by the caption. Now, the party, which shrunk in the number of federal deputies in the 2022 elections, no longer has the right to resources.

The Sustainability Network, which was not receiving funds, will receive them after signing a federation with PSOL.

The cut in resources is due to an amendment to the Constitution approved by Congress in the so-called “mini-electoral reform” of 2017.

The amendment points out that, in order to receive portions of the party fund in 2023, it was necessary for political parties to obtain at least 2% of the valid votes in 2022, with at least 1% of the vote in nine states or, even, the election of at least least 11 federal deputies distributed in nine states.

The barrier, in short, takes away public funds, legislative structure and space in radio and TV advertising from parties that do not have a minimum performance in the elections.

This mini-reform was approved with the aim of reducing the number of subtitles in the country. Cutting off access to the party fund would be an incentive for runts and small parties to form or join federations; or even merge.

The party fund —whose formal name is the Special Fund for Financial Assistance to Political Parties— has its resources from the Union Budget and also from fines and penalties to parties, in addition to donations.

Its purpose is to finance the daily expenses of political parties. In January, the TSE published tables with the total percentage of votes considered for parties to receive appropriations from the party fund.

The forecast is that the PL, party of former president Jair Bolsonaro, will have the largest slice of the fund this year. The estimated value by the end of the year may exceed R$ 200 million.

Next will come President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s PT, which should earn more than R$ 150 million. In third place, União Brasil, the centrão party that occupies ministries under the Lula administration, will receive approximately R$ 120 million.

After these parties, the most benefited from the fund will be PP, Republicans, MDB, PSD, PSB and PSOL.

The PL will be entitled to these values ​​after having received a heavy fine from the president of the TSE, Minister Alexandre de Moraes, for litigation in bad faith for the coup action that aimed to invalidate votes cast in part of the ballot boxes in the second round of elections.

Moraes understood that the initiative adopted by the PL was “aimed at disrupting the Brazilian democratic regime itself” and determined that the party’s president, Valdemar Costa Neto, be the subject of investigations at the STF (Federal Supreme Court), in the investigation of digital militias, and in the TSE.

The value of the fine was R$ 22.9 million. On the last 17th, Moraes stated that the amount had been settled and determined that the remaining balance in the party’s party accounts be immediately released, as well as the monthly transfer from the party fund.

Last November, R$ 13.6 million was blocked from the acronym. In December, the transfer of R$ 9.86 million took place.

With the discharge recognized, Moraes determined that the remaining balance in the party accounts, as well as the monthly transfer of the party fund, be immediately released to Bolsonaro’s party.

“As extracted from the calculations presented by the technical unit, the amounts transferred to the specific account are already sufficient to fully discharge the fine imposed”, said Minister Alexandre de Moraes in a decision.

Before the cut of part of the subtitles from the fund this month, other parties that had not already overcome the barrier clause were also not receiving the resources: Agir, DC, PCB, PCO, PMN, PRTB, PSTU and UP.

The veto to the party fund made legends like Patriota start discussions to join other parties.

In 2018, the party also did not reach the clause, but had managed to escape the sticking by incorporating the PRP runt.

At the time, Podemos and PC do B also incorporated nanicos to maintain funds and access to advertising.

For 2026, the barrier clause will rise to 2.5% of valid votes across the country, with a minimum of 1.5% in at least nine states or 13 deputies spread across nine federation units.