Brazil: Lula da Silva’s PT party to cancel privatization projects

The privatizations and concessions that are carried out by the government of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL – Liberal Party) should be reviewed, postponed or canceled with the inauguration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT – Worker’s Party).

Correios, Dataprev and the Port of Santos, in addition to the process of selling Petrobras assets, such as gas pipelines and refineries, are some of the main privatization projects that were already in progress or with a project ready.

However, the PT’s transition team has already indicated that they should be revisited.

Embrapa, an agricultural research company, which was also a candidate for a privatization process, is another state-owned company that should not migrate to the private sector.

“At this moment, any privatization proposal is suspended”, confirmed PT senator Rogério Carvalho in an interview with CNN.

He also said that the privatization of companies considered strategic by the PT is out of the question. According to him, “this debate must be left for a second moment”.

IN QUEUE

The Correios (Post Office) would be next in line to be privatized. The team of Paulo Guedes, Minister of Economy, even presented the Bill for the privatization of the company in February, but the attempt did not go ahead.

Now, Lula da Silva’s team has already announced that it will interrupt the plan.

Dataprev, the system that manages the database of the National Institute of Social Security (INSS), and the Port of Santos are two others that were in the process of being privatized by the current government, but which should get stuck from 2023.

The list completes the sale of Petrobras assets, an agenda that comes from the government of Michel Temer (MDB) to wipe out other businesses of the state-owned company, such as gas pipelines, distribution and refining, and focus essentially on oil exploration and production.

With information from Revista Oeste

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