Brazil’s Vice-President Supports Administration Rapprochement with Center Party Bloc

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Vice-President Hamilton Mourão described the government’s recent rapprochement with the center parties in Congress as a step forward, which can guarantee the construction of a legislative basis for the approval of bills of interest to the executive branch.

“President Bolsonaro has understood for some time now that in any presidential system you need to have a base within Congress. If you don’t have a base, chances are you will hardly be able to pass your most important bills. The approach with the center parties, which are, let’s say, the basis for a balance of power within the legislature, is an approach that I consider healthy, correct, and from that point on, we have started to improve this relationship, which had somewhat deteriorated amid the pandemic, which has been very politicized,” Mourão said during a virtual debate broadcast by Genial Investments on social media.

The vice-president also advocated restarting the debate on recreating a new CPMF, a tax on financial transactions. President Jair Bolsonaro is resisting the issue.

“I think it needs to be discussed. The President is against it, he doesn’t want to put it on the table because of the old memory of the CPMF, but we know that our tax system is complex. Sooner or later, this discussion will have to be put on the table,” he said.

Mourão also mentioned that the administrative reform proposal is ready to be submitted to Congress, but that it should only be presented after the return of in-person sessions in Congress. The measure, prepared by the Ministry of Economy, aims to change the rights of future federal employees and includes the revision of initial salaries, the reduction in the number of career paths, and the increase in time for servants to achieve tenuree.

“Congress is meeting online and it is a reform that needs a well-balanced discussion. I think it should only be resubmitted when the Legislative returns to work presentially,” the vice-president said.

Source: Agência Brasil