Congress follows expectation: elects alcohumbre and Motta for Senate and Câmara Command

(Reuters)-The National Congress elected this Saturday, as expected, Deputy Hugo Motta (Republicans-PB) to preside over the House and Senator David Alcolumbre (Union-AP) to command the Senate, continuing the movement started by its predecessors to broaden the power of influence of Parliament in the public budget on the argument of defense of the legislature’s independence.

The choice of both names was consistent with the government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, but also had the support of the opposition, led by the PL of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Even so, the expectation in Congress is that Alcolumbre and Motta do not offer major obstacles to the government in voting on the economic agenda. Members of the Lula administration, however, expect the leaders in Congress to cover the executive’s counterparts for support for government projects as key positions in public administration.

The two should already talk to Lula next week, according to the Minister of Institutional Relations, Alexandre Padilha, when the government must present its priority agenda.

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Shortly after their election, the president used social networks to congratulate them.

“I am sure that we will advance further in this successful partnership between executive and legislature, to build an increasingly developed and fairer Brazil, with fiscal, social and environmental responsibility,” Lula said on Instagram, in publication directed to Motta.

“Congratulations to Senator @davialcolumbre for the new mandate in the presidency of the Senate and the National Congress. A country grows when institutions work in harmony, ”Lula posted after the senator’s election.

In the Senate, Alcolumbre was elected with a good margin of votes – 73 among 81 senators – well above the 41 necessary and far ahead of the other two candidates, who received 4 votes each.

Parliamentarian with strong influence on the Senate, Alcolumbre presented himself with a senators’ speech, committed to working for the independence and prerogatives of the house, remembering tensions with other powers involving the release of parliamentary amendments and disagreements with the House about the proceedings of materials.

“My first commitment as president of this house will be with the defense of the voice of the people: the parliamentary mandate,” said the senator in speech before the vote. “A commitment to the protection of the guarantees and prerogatives of senators and senators and the preservation of the independence of the Federal Senate.”

In the House, Motta did not bring surprise when elected with the support of a parliamentary block made up of 17 of the 20 parties with representation in the house, uniting PT and PL in the same group of subtitles. There were 444 votes in favor of Paraíba.

Motta should follow the line of her predecessor and political sponsor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL)-which has been progressively increasing her control over the federal budget-and assumes the post under the promise of independent action.

“We will institutionally strengthen the Chamber, maintain its autonomy and independence from the other powers,” said Motta, in a speech shortly before the vote that resulted in his election to the president of the House.

“We want a strong chamber, with the guarantee of our prerogatives and in defense of our parliamentary immunity.”

Currently, Congress controls almost a quarter of the resources available for government investments and implementation, through parliamentary amendments, a participation that has grown significantly in the last decade and has become partly of imposing execution.

The dispute for the control of the budget between executive and legislature also dragged the judiciary, which became the target of criticism of deputies and senators, among other reasons, for seeking to impose transparency and traceability rules for the amendments.