PL emerges strengthened after winning command of Chamber committees

The election of Liberal Party names to important permanent committees of the Chamber of Deputies in 2024 sends a clear message to the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva: despite the efforts of government parliamentarians, the opposition emerged from the dispute strengthened.

This Wednesday (6), the PL won command of the most coveted and important collegiate body in the House, the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ), in addition to becoming presidents of the Education, Public Security, Sports and Pensions commissions. The PT, in turn, was left with the Health Commission, which has the largest budget in parliamentary amendments this year, and with the Inspection Commission, also considered an important body. The number of PT members heading committees could increase, because 11 have not yet been installed.

The PL, as the largest group in the Chamber (it elected 99 deputies in 2022 and currently has 96), has preference to choose the permanent committees it wants to command. Through an agreement at the beginning of the legislature, the party, however, decided that last year it would give up the CCJ to be in charge of the 2024 Budget, but with the guarantee that, this year, the most important commission in the Home.

The name of deputy Carol de Toni (PL-SC), who was elected president of the CCJ this Wednesday, had already been discussed to take over the collegiate since the end of last year – she even gave an interview to Gazeta do Povo at the time , saying what his priorities would be in leading the commission. However, the PT and government members began to pressure for there to be no change of command in the CCJ, which was commanded by the party last year, and for Caroline not to be the PL nominee.

This resistance to the name of the parliamentarian from Santa Catarina, observed even shortly before the vote that elected her, stems from the fact that Caroline belongs to a wing of the PL linked to former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and is more conservative. There was a fear that a deputy considered too far to the right could harm the government, discussing matters related to customs and limiting the powers of the Judiciary.

After the election, Carol de Toni, as she is known, adopted a speech of conciliation and dialogue, without committing to any specific agenda, but highlighted that her party represents a large part of the population that wants to have a voice, and that, to the extent If possible, this voice will be heard.

“We have to note that PL deputies broke voting records at the polls, so they also reflect the desires of society in relation to the agendas they defend. So this criticism that we often receive, we have to have the critical analysis, the press above all, that the Brazilian population also wants these agendas”, stated the parliamentarian.

The same vision was reinforced by deputy Alberto Fraga (PL-DF), elected president of the Public Security Commission. For him, the Liberal Party was strengthened by the choice not because of “a favor”, but because it has the largest group in the Chamber, with 96 parliamentarians. He also pointed out that, in the face of attacks from government officials, the party’s victories this Wednesday were the result of “a lot of talk” and the “skill” of the party leader in the Chamber, Altineu Côrtes (PL-RJ).

The second vice-president of the Chamber of Deputies, Sóstenes Cavalcante (PL-RJ), recalled that the party continues to preside over five committees in the Chamber, the same number as last year, which, according to him, is the PL’s right due to to the size of the bench.

“What happened this year was resistance to party names, as happened with the nomination of Carol de Toni [CCJ] and Nikolas Ferreira [Educação]. We are the ones who indicate the names, not the government”, highlighted Sóstenes.

For the deputy, the message that comes from the results of the elections for the main committees of the Chamber is that the opposition “does not submit to the whims and will of the government”. “We are opposition, we are the largest party and we will always make our individual decisions, regardless of the will of the ‘misgovernment’ that is there”, Cavalcante pointed out.

Representative Paulo Bilynskyj (SP) said that the election of PL names for such important committees as Constitution and Justice and Education was very important for the right. “We saw the PL emerge strengthened and with its rights guaranteed. We are the party with the largest bench in the Chamber and this must be respected.”

For the deputy, “Nikolas’ nomination [na Educação] It is also fundamental because it is a commission that did not operate under the control of the left.” “Very important issues were not addressed, such as the issue of violent attacks in schools. I believe we came out stronger, but aware that this is just the beginning of a very challenging year.”

Dispute between PL and PT marked succession in the Chamber’s permanent committees

The election of the Chamber’s permanent committees this Wednesday (6) was marked by discontent and last-minute agreements, which required the interference of the President of the House, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), to facilitate the installation and election of the committees.

In addition to the initial resistance to Caroline de Toni’s name for the Constitution and Justice Commission, the PL’s nomination for Nikolas Ferreira from Minas Gerais to assume the presidency of the Education Commission was the trigger for a crisis that made Lira call the leaders and beat the hammer on the need for an agreement and the order to install the collegiate bodies.

The PT, which initially would not have nominated a name for Education, did not want Nikolas to take over the commission, and even said that it would withdraw the nominations of all names for the commissions. In the end, however, the party agreed, with the commitment that he will hold the first vice-presidency of the commission.

Last-minute negotiations also took place in defining the presidency of the Health Commission, which has the largest budget of the collegiate bodies, totaling R$4.5 billion. The collegiate will be led by a PT deputy, Dr. Francisco (PI), but will have a PL name as its 1st vice-president.

Pivot of the last-minute confusion in the corridors of the commissions, Nikolas Ferreira is out of Brasilia, on paternity leave, and elected, he took to social media to state that “democracy will not be relative in the commission that I will preside over”, in an indirect message to the President Lula’s comments on the presidential elections in Venezuela. Even before the result, important figures from the PL circulated around the commission trying to calm things down and say that “everything will be done in a democratic way there”.

In the Security Committee, the name of Alberto Fraga, who will replace Ubiratan Sanderson, also from PL, met no resistance, despite União Brasil not being satisfied with losing the collegiate. Fraga confirmed to People’s Gazette which will continue to list as priorities issues that deal with the prison system and the issue of gun rights, and will try to dialogue with the Minister of Justice, Ricardo Lewandowsky.

“A propositional agenda against prison releases, criminal age, prison system”, said the deputy, who is part of the public security bench.

Opposition is strengthened with command of priority committees in the Chamber, analysts say

In the opinion of political scientist Antônio Flávio Testa, the opposition was strengthened after the results of the elections of fundamental committees in the Chamber of Deputies, mainly the CCJ, which in addition to concentrating what will be processed in the House and evaluating the admissibility and constitutionality of proposals, also has the power to analyze matters without them having to go through the plenary.

Testa also points out that the new commission presidents have a “tough” profile and can pressure the government and give visibility to conservative projects in an election year.

The professor of Political Sciences at IBMEC in Belo Horizonte, Adriano Cerqueira, also believes that the current moment in politics, with the election of members of the opposition and specifically of the PL to command important committees in the Chamber, strengthens the Brazilian right.

The IBMEC analyst also highlighted that in addition to addressing important issues for this more conservative segment, the election of the commissions will have important consequences for the succession of the presidency of the Chamber, in February 2025, when Arthur Lira will have to leave command of the House, by giving more negotiating power to the PL.

The committees installed this Wednesday should start working from next week, resuming the normal pace of work in the Chamber of Deputies, one month after the beginning of the legislative year.