Congress breaks attendance record.

Karine Melo
Reporter from Agência Brasil
Brasilia - Due to the holidays and extended visiting hours (9 am to 17:30 pm), guided tours of the National Congress reached a record 18.632 people in July, the highest in the history of the legislative body. With this, the number of tours accompanied by tourist guides reached 90 in the first half of the year.

Eager to photograph everything, tourists often embarrass the guides with their questions. "The question of the moment is about the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) planes. They [the visitors] ask if this is where the deputies and senators request the planes from. Another common question is whether the parliamentarians work, if they are thieves, and how much they earn," one of the guides, who preferred not to be identified, told Agência Brasil.

Situations like these, according to the guide, are resolved with standard responses. He said he explains to visitors that inquiries about salaries and the use of airplanes should be directed to the relevant departments in the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate.

When the question turns to the work and conduct of parliamentarians, the guides take the opportunity to talk about the importance of conscious voting. "We always say that they [deputies and senators] are not here because of family connections, but because they were legitimately elected to represent us," they explained.

Among the parliamentarians, the one that arouses the most curiosity is Tiririca (PR-SP). “They always ask about him. Last week he was at the House and when he was recognized by the visitors he came to take pictures,” said the guide. He explained that the monitors do not point out deputies or senators. But, when tourists recognize them, they often seek out the parliamentarian to take a picture.

When the visit is complete, which only occurs on weekends and holidays, the tour of the Congress building can last an hour and a half. In addition to following the usual daily route, which includes the halls and plenary chambers of both Houses, admiring works of art – including some by Athos Bulcão and Francisco Ceschiatti – and learning about the importance of Parliament in Brazilian history, on weekends visitors have the opportunity to enter the office of the Speaker of the House, Henrique Alves (PMDB-RN), and the audience room of the President of the Senate, Renan Calheiros (PMDB-AL).

“My husband, my oldest son, and I came [to Brasília] to get visas for the United States and took the opportunity to explore the city. Being Brazilian, we want to know where congressmen and senators work. My biggest curiosity was seeing this ramp, which is in front of the building. I’ve had it in my mind since I was a child; I saw it on television and thought it was beautiful,” said businesswoman Renata de Freitas, from São Luís (MA).

Electrician Adelson dos Santos, from Rio Verde (GO), expected to find the House full. “I didn’t know they weren’t working this week. If they were workers, like me, how would it be to miss two weeks of work?” he asked. Since the Budget Guidelines Law (LDO) was not voted on by July 17th, the Constitution stipulates that parliamentarians cannot take vacations. However, the absence of parliamentarians is due to the so-called "white recess," a period in which there are no deliberative sessions in either House.

French, German, and American tourists are the most frequent visitors to the Brazilian Congress among foreigners. To cater to this audience, there are scheduled tour times in English, French, and Spanish. Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) interpretation is also available; simply schedule your visit through the visitation website. Tours depart every 30 minutes from the Black Hall. Groups of more than 15 people must schedule their visit. Individual visitors do not need to schedule.

Edited by: José Romildo