Lira promises to punish deputies in an attempt to avoid arguments at CPIs

The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), promises to act rigorously to punish deputies who do not behave in the sessions of the Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry (CPIs) recently installed in the House.

Lira relies on the Council of Ethics and Parliamentary Decorum to deal with “outside the curve” points and has always reminded her colleagues that the council exists and will analyze complaints about the behavior of those who do not obey the rules of good coexistence.

At least three CPIs have already started working in the Chamber: the one on land invasions, which will investigate the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST), among other groups; the manipulation of football games by electronic betting; and accounting fraud at Lojas Americanas. They should take place in parallel with the Joint Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPMI) of the acts of vandalism on January 8 in Praça dos Três Poderes, which should start its work this Thursday (25).

“I would like to emphasize once again that our Ethics Council was elected and, therefore, ask for the usual prudence in the performance of each parliamentarian. From now on, we will have the appropriate forum installed to deal with the points outside the curve of this House”, said Lira.

The collegiate can determine anything from a written warning to suspension without salary and revocation of mandate for more serious cases. A deputy who “disturbs the order” of a plenary or committee session may also be prevented from speaking by the president of the Chamber or the committee.

It is not now that the frequent episodes of arguments, name-calling and threats recorded during the plenary sessions and in the meetings of the permanent committees have bothered Arthur Lira. At the beginning of the current legislature, after a week marked by the exchange of offenses between deputies, Lira summoned the leaders to discuss rules of coexistence between parliamentarians.

Debates between Flávio Dino and opponents have already set the tone for the debate

With the intensification of debates in the parliamentary commissions of inquiry, it is also expected that tempers will become more exalted, that is, the chances of conflict between parliamentarians and guests for the CPIs will also be much greater. A good thermometer of what is to come were the hearings of the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Flávio Dino, in Congress. One of them, at the Public Security Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, was closed after there was an argument, screams and slaps on the table. The minister withdrew from the meeting. On another occasion, Dino participated in an equally tumultuous session at the Constitution and Justice Commission.

It’s episodes like these that the mayor says he wants to fight. The president of the Ethics Council, Deputy Leur Lomanto Júnior (União – BA), stated that there is “a great challenge ahead”. “We have a duty mainly to ensure the good image of the Chamber of Deputies”.

Lomanto said that the country is experiencing a troubled moment, of extreme polarization, but he says that the processes that reach the Ethics Council will be analyzed in a “serene, calm way, giving all those parliamentarians the opportunity to defend themselves”.

For the president of the Ethics Council, it is natural that the clashes are even tough, with the defense of different positions and banners. But he warns that he will not allow the Chamber of Deputies to “be a battle ring” or “anything goes”. “We will not allow it to be the stage for debates and pronouncements that often lead to swear words, words that do not contribute to a healthy debate, which is what the Brazilian population expects from the Chamber of Deputies.”

Absent from the Chamber in the last legislature, and back to the Ethics Council in 2023, deputy Chico Alencar (PSOL-RJ), said that today there is a “toxic climate” in parliament. “It is a new reality of networks that are often anti-social, virtual, but often not at all virtuous, where what matters is sealing, bombing, deleting, in short, shining for the universe, which is not good for the country”. The Council will be attentive to this, says Alencar.

The 1st vice-president of the Council, Deputy Albuquerque (Republicans – RR), agrees. He says that the collegiate will have “no party, nor ideology” and revealed that, even being in his first term, he has already seen “shameful” behavior.

Punishments by the Ethics Council should not be very effective, says analyst

In the evaluation of sociologist and specialist in political analysis Onofre Ribeiro, the president of the Chamber, when reminding the deputies of the existence of the Council of Ethics, makes a traditional “warning to sailors”. Ribeiro classifies the current composition of the National Congress as explosive, and says that he does not believe in great effectiveness in the punishments that can be imposed on parliamentarians.

“Most processes fall into oblivion”, highlights the analyst. According to him, both the House and the Senate reflect the reality outside the walls of the two houses, where people are extremely polarized”.

Onofre Ribeiro believes that “it is in the parties that the root of all problems lies. Back then they gave stability to politics, the parties themselves were strong enough to have their ethics. origin”.

Even with warnings that the Council will act harshly in cases of excesses, so far it has not been called upon, since its installation on April 19.

8 deputies had their mandates revoked after the creation of the Ethics Council

The Council of Ethics and Parliamentary Decorum of the Chamber of Deputies was created in 2001, and since then it has suggested the loss of mandate of 24 parliamentarians, of which 8 had their impeachment confirmed by the Plenary of the House. The most recent were former deputy Flordelis, from Rio de Janeiro, accused of having her husband killed; and the former president of the Chamber, Eduardo Cunha.

The first loss of office suggested by the Council of Ethics was in 2004. The body recommended the impeachment of Deputy André Luiz, elected by the former PMDB and without a party at the time he was impeached. He was accused of attempting to extort R$ 4 million to remove the name of the bookie Carlos Cachoeira from the final report of the CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) of Loterj, carried out that year, in the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro.

The highest number of representations was recorded in 2006, at the height of Operation Sanguessuga, which investigated fraud in bids in the health area. That year, 71 representations were presented to the council, 69 of which were archived.

Punishments range from censure to loss of mandate

The work of the Ethics Council is guided by its own regulations, in accordance with the Code of Ethics and the Internal Regulations of the Chamber of Deputies. The Council acts upon provocation by the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Deputies for the initiation of disciplinary proceedings.

Deputies, Commissions and the population can also ask the Board of the Chamber of Deputies for a representation against a federal deputy. Political parties with representation in the National Congress can also forward a representation to the Board of Directors, which will send it directly to the Ethics Council.

Punishments range from censorship of the parliamentarian, whether verbal or written, to temporary suspension of office or loss of office.