Lula government wants to limit military and police candidacies

With the return of work in the National Congress, allies of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) are working with the expectation of approving a Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) that limits the entry of military and federal police into the political career this year. . PT members hope that the new rules will come into force for next year’s municipal elections.

The PT’s idea is to force military and police officers to give up their careers to contest the elections. Today, military and police officers can participate in the elections, but they have to give up their positions only if they are elected. The new rule could make the undertaking much more risky and could drastically reduce the candidacies of the military and police that have been successful since 2018. The main objective of the PT is that right-wing parties do not perform well in the next elections.

The main articulation takes place within the Ministry of Defense to sew an agreement that makes it possible to approve the PEC that obliges military personnel to leave the Armed Forces or migrate to the reserve if they intend to run for elections or take over ministries. This project had already been articulated by Planalto since April, but Lula’s allies were waiting for the opportune moment to file the text.

In this strategy, the Planalto intends to incorporate its text to the project of Deputy Perpétua Almeida (PCdoB-AC) that deals with the same subject and that is currently being processed by the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ) of the Chamber.

According to members of the government, the idea of ​​the proposal is to “depoliticize” the country’s barracks after the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL). But it is based on the mistaken idea that there would be political activities within military organizations. Not only is this prohibited, it is severely punished by all Armed Forces.

“It is clear the purpose of the constituent to remove the military from party-political activities if they are on active duty. In this way, the constitutional model of impartiality and non-partisanship of the Armed Forces is improved, as well as the civil nature of the political occupation of the State through free, universal and periodic elections”, defended Perpétua Almeida.

Military personnel who carried out political activities in recent years were already disconnected from two forces, with exceptions such as General Eduardo Pazuello. What really bothers PT members is that values ​​such as discipline, hierarchy, patriotism, faith in the mission, esprit de corps and preservation of the family structure prevail in the barracks.

In general terms, the PEC intends to prohibit military personnel who run for any elective office, in case of defeat, from returning to the function. The same must occur with those who assume posts in ministries of the federal government. The argument is that, on returning to the barracks, the military maintains political proselytism in the barracks.

At least 56 members of the Armed Forces were candidates in last year’s election. Of the total, at least 30 returned to activities after the electoral dispute. “The military has a career, serves the Brazilian State. You go into politics, you have failure [na eleição] and come back: you’re not even a soldier anymore and you’re dreaming of a new election”, defended the Minister of Defense, José Múcio Monteiro Filho.

Proposal may limit party affiliation of members of the Federal Police

At the same time, the director general of the Federal Police, Andrei Passos, recently indicated that he is discussing with the Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, a proposal that also limits the entry of members of the corporation into politics. According to Passos, the expectation is that the project will be presented during the second semester.

For the director general of the PF, the member of the institution who wants to apply “will have to be exonerated and comply with a quarantine of at least two years”. “Anyone who wants to do party politics is in the wrong place. Unfortunately, the institution was used several times. This creates an imbalance in the democratic system, allowing the candidate to project himself and use the institution for his own benefit”, said Passos, in an interview with the newspaper The globe.

Still according to him, currently, there is already a rule that limits, for example, that the institution’s servers use the PF symbols in social network profiles. “We also regulate the use of the PF symbol on social networks for personal purposes and activities not linked to the institution. The idea is to avoid misuse of the PF image”, completed Passos.

Public Security Bench prepares reaction against Lula government projects

Despite the enthusiasm of the Lula government, PT members admit that the proposals must face contrary reactions within the National Congress. Despite this, they assess that the PEC that deals with members of the Armed Forces in the elections already has a positive signal from the mayors of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), and of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG). .

In the case of the project dealing with the Federal Police, the main reaction should come from the Parliamentary Front for Public Security. Currently, the group brings together around 300 deputies and senators.

In 2021, the Chamber of Deputies approved a proposal that provides for a four-year quarantine for civil servants who are members of the municipal guards, Federal Police, Federal Road and Federal Railways, Civilians, magistrates and members of the Public Ministry to be able to apply. Since then, the text has been stalled in the Senate.

In April of this year, Pacheco chose Senator Marcelo Castro (MDB-PI) as rapporteur for the proposal. The emedebist is one of the main allies of the Lula government in the House.