Lula government puts guests of the inauguration event under secrecy – 01/27/2023 – Power

The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) refused to disclose and, thus, kept confidential the list of about 3,500 guests who participated in the reception held at the Itamaraty Palace, in Brasília, on January 1st, the date of the presidential inauguration.

The main argument is that the list of guests for the event has a “reserved nature” and cites the legislation that provides secrecy for information that could endanger the safety of the president and his family.

The government also refused to detail expenses with the reception, arguing that the information is public and can be consulted on the administration’s transparency and procurement portals.

The government’s position was disclosed in response to a request for information via the Access to Information Law, made by the Radar column of Veja magazine.

The position of the current government contrasts with the criticisms made by then-candidate Lula, during the election campaign. Lula has always criticized the imposition of secrecy for 100 years on matters involving Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and his family members. However, the legal justification for keeping the guest list confidential at the reception was the same, citing risks for the agent and family members.

“The guest list for the event in question is reserved, under the protection of law 12,527 (item II, art. 23 and paragraph 2, art. 24) and decree 7,724 (art. 55), which regulates the aforementioned law. Furthermore, under the terms of article 13 of the same decree 7,724, requests for information that are unreasonable, that is, that are characterized by non-compliance with the public interests of the State in favor of society, “says the government’s response.

One of these legal references concerns the classification of information that may jeopardize the safety of the president, the vice president and their spouses and children. This information will remain confidential until the end of the current mandate or the last mandate, in case of re-election.

Another of the legal references provides that information that may harm or jeopardize the conduct of negotiations or the country’s international relations is subject to classification; or those that have been provided confidentially by other States and international organizations.

The organization of the presidential inauguration, including the reception at the Itamaraty, had as one of the coordinators the first lady Rosângela da Silva, Janja.

The reception of heads of foreign delegations at Itamaraty is a traditional event of the presidential inauguration in Brazil. This year, the event gained new proportions, considering that there was a record number of heads of state who came to the country. In addition, the reception at the headquarters of Brazilian diplomacy also featured political and judiciary personalities, former BBBs, influencers and musicians.

In addition to the heads of state, ministers of the Federal Supreme Court were also present, such as Ricardo Lewandowski and Alexandre de Moraes; politicians, the president of Febraban, Isaac Sidney, the former BBB Gil do Vigor and the filmmaker Petra Costa.

Representatives of the press were also invited to the reception, including journalists from Sheet.

“In several countries around the world, presidential inauguration ceremonies are, traditionally, occasions in which friendly nations pay homage to the host country, by sending official representatives. Foreign authorities are joined by the highest national authorities and personalities of life local public, to participate in official acts and related festivities”, said the Brazilian government, in response to the request for information.

“In Brazil, the presidential inauguration is regulated by Decree No. 70,274, of March 9, 1972. It is the biggest regular event of a protocol and diplomatic nature in the country. , at the Itamaraty Palace, the foreign Special Missions and high authorities of the Republic”, adds the answer.

The government adds that this year’s presidential inauguration saw the largest number of foreign delegations visit Brazil since the 2016 Olympic Games.

“There were a total of 73 foreign delegations, in addition to almost 80 representatives of the Diplomatic Corps in Brasília.”

Regarding the total expenditure on this reception, the federal government refused to disclose the amounts and detail them in its response to the request for information. On the other hand, he informed that the data are public and are available in the administration’s transparency channels.

This information, however, is found in a diffuse way in these channels.

The Minister of the Secretariat of Communication, Paulo Pimenta, used his social networks to counter criticism for keeping this information confidential.

“The expenses related to the inauguration party are public and were answered in accordance with the Access to Information Law. What was protected, due to the General Data Protection Law and the names of foreigners at the party, was the complete list of people who were at the party.”