Lula seeks support to approve PEC that limits the military in politics

The Minister of Defense, José Múcio Monteiro Filho, presented to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) the draft of a Constitutional Amendment Proposal (PEC) that obliges military personnel to leave the Armed Forces or migrate to the reserve if they intend to contest elections or assume ministries. The text received the “green light” from the PT and is now in the Civil House. The portfolio commanded by Rui Costa must make the last adjustments, and then the Planalto will present the proposal to the National Congress.

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). The text presented to Planalto was put together by the Minister of Defense together with the current commanders of the Army, Navy and Air Force. In addition, the measure also already has a positive signal from the mayors of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), and of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG).

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 a 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 Múcio Monteiro.

Also according to the Minister of Defense, the purpose of the PEC is not to prohibit military personnel from entering politics. “[O militar que tenta a política] it loses its hierarchical principles and loses its taste for the Armed Forces. We are not banning. Whoever is happy in politics. Whoever stays should be strong as a soldier,” he added.

PEC must be presented by a congressman allied with Lula

At the same time, members of the Ministry of Institutional Relations, led by Minister Alexandre Padilha, articulate among congressmen so that an ally assumes authorship of the PEC in the Chamber or in the Senate. The strategy is seen as a way for the Planalto Palace to shield itself from any wear and tear with the opposition or with members of the barracks who are more resistant to the text.

Among the main names aired by the government supporters is the leader of the PSD in the Senate, Senator Otto Alencar (BA). In addition to being an ally of Lula, the assessment is that the senator could dialogue with other parties outside the left field.

For the text to start moving through the Senate, the PEC needs to gather the support of at least 28 senators. In addition, to be approved in plenary, the proposal needs at least 49 votes from senators and 308 deputies – in two rounds of voting.

The Planalto Palace has not yet decided on when it intends to proceed with the proposal. However, Lula’s allies assess that with the consensus of the commanders of the Forces and with the signaling of the leaders of Congress, the measure can gain speed in the Senate and in the Chamber of Deputies.

The military’s PEC becomes an alternative to the text proposed by the PT bench

The seam made by the Minister of Defense came after PT members began to mobilize to move forward with a more restrictive PEC for the military. In addition to vetoing the candidacy of active-duty military personnel, the proposal championed by Deputy Carlos Zarattini (PT-SP) intended to amend Article 142 of the Constitution and remove the Guarantee of Law and Order (GLO) operations from the Army.

This proposal, however, is resisted by Armed Forces commanders and could amplify Lula’s crisis with the military. In the calculations of the president’s allies, the PEC of the PT bench would lead to a rapprochement between the military and opposition parliamentarians to block the project, which would revert one of the Executive’s priorities.

Two weeks ago, the commander of the Army, General Tomas Paiva, indicated to Deputy Zarattini that he was against the proposal articulated by him. Among other points, Paiva argued that there was no alternative to the Armed Forces for the execution of GLOs. In addition, he expressed support for measures such as the automatic transfer to the reserve of military personnel who are contesting elections or who want to participate in civilian positions.

The assessment within the government is that the current Minister of Defense managed to remove the military from the political focus and eased the wear and tear caused by the acts of vandalism on January 8th. Now, Planalto’s expectation is that the proposal put together by the Minister of Defense will make the PEC defended by Zarattini unfeasible.

“There’s no need to mess around now. I’m of the thesis that whoever is in the business of hitting the head doesn’t need rules. We need to talk [com os parlamentares] to arrive at a consensual solution, which establishes a result for what people want,” said the Minister of Defense.