The maneuver by the Centrão (center-right bloc) to reinstate secret voting on the "shielding" amendment is a "coup," says PSOL.

247 - The Centrão's offensive to reinstate secret voting on the "Shielding the Bill" has opened a new political crisis in the Chamber of Deputies, according to the newspaper. The GlobeoThe move came after the government's base suffered a defeat in plenary session, when the provision for secrecy in votes deciding whether parliamentarians should face legal proceedings was overturned.

The PSOL party classified the attempt to reverse the result as a "coup" and announced that it will take the matter to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) if the consolidated amendment succeeds. According to the party, the maneuver violates the House rules and represents a setback in the transparency of legislative decisions.

Session interrupted after defeat

In the previous session, parliamentarians from the left and the Novo party managed to approve the removal of the secret ballot, imposing an embarrassment on the allied base. The Speaker of the House, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), ended the session immediately after the vote to avoid further defeats in plenary. The Centrão's quick reaction was to orchestrate an amendment that reinstates the rejected mechanism.

PSOL promises to take legal action.

The initiative was harshly criticized by the PSOL party, which promises to take the case to court if the change is approved. Deputy Tarcísio Motta (PSOL-RJ) stated that the maneuver violates the legislative process. "They are plotting a coup to approve the opposite of what was approved yesterday. It's a backroom deal amendment that violates the Chamber's rules," declared the congressman.

Congresswoman Sâmia Bomfim (Psol-SP) stated that the vote on the "Shielding the Constitution" amendment and the inclusion of secret voting in the proposal are part of agreements being made to advance amnesty for coup plotters in the Chamber of Deputies. "This was part of the shady dealings, the backroom deals they're trying to build to approve the amnesty this week," she said.

What is at stake

The "Shielding Amendment," as it's nicknamed by the opposition, seeks to create mechanisms that make it more difficult to initiate legal proceedings against members of Congress. The secret ballot is seen as one of the key points to guarantee protection for parliamentarians, as it reduces the transparency of decisions in the eyes of the public.

The dispute now tends to focus not only on the Chamber's plenary session, but also on the Supreme Court, which may be called upon to arbitrate the limits of the internal regulations in light of the Centrão's maneuver.