Temer: government has enough votes to approve adjustment.

Luana Lourenço - Reporter for Agência Brasil

The government expects the three provisional measures of fiscal adjustment to be approved by the Senate by tomorrow (27). According to Vice President Michel Temer, there are enough votes to approve the measures, which expire next week. The expectation is to vote on Provisional Measures (MPs) 665 and 664, which deal with labor and social security benefits, today (26) and MP 668, which raises taxes on imports, tomorrow.

"We have enough votes, the government leader [in the Senate, Delcídio Amaral] conducted a survey and verified that there are enough votes. Of course, there will be discussion, which is also very healthy, because it is evident that the decision is not solely up to the Executive branch. The Executive branch sends the bill, but the decision rests with Congress," Temer assessed as he left a meeting with party leaders in the Senate, at the Jaburu Palace.

The vice-president reiterated that the government intends to "carry the adjustment measures through to the end" and denied any possibility of letting Provisional Measure 664 miss the voting deadline, causing the amendment that alters the current rules of the social security factor, included by the Chamber of Deputies, to lose its validity.

According to the approved amendment, the so-called 85/95 rule will now apply. It establishes that workers will receive the maximum INSS (Brazilian Social Security Institute) benefit when, in the retirement calculation, the sum of their age and contribution time equals 85 for women, 95 for men, 80 for female teachers, and 90 for male teachers.

The government leader in the Senate, Delcídio Amaral (PT-MS), confirmed the prospect of a vote and downplayed internal disagreements within the allied base, especially in the PT. "The PT is working together, we're having a meeting of the caucus now, at 12 pm, and I have no doubt that the vast majority of the PT will vote in favor of the Provisional Measure, with the government's proposals," he assessed.

"I think the PT will behave in a way that is consistent with what we were expecting. Obviously, there are some isolated stances, two of them, but we respect the position of these senators," added Delcídio, referring to senators Lindbergh Farias (RJ) and Paulo Paim (RS), who are against the measures.

According to the leader, for the vote on MP 665, which changed the rules for access to unemployment insurance, fishing allowance and social bonus, it is still necessary to negotiate an alternative to the veto of the waiting period for the payment of the bonus. The government has committed to vetoing the article of the measure that establishes that workers will only be entitled to the full salary bonus, of one minimum wage, if they have worked at least 90 days in the previous year. Resistance to this point was the reason why the MP was not voted on Wednesday (21).

"We already have these figures well underway so that, if there is a commitment to the veto, we can seek alternatives for the government to compensate for these amounts," the leader explained.

Delcídio also said that the Senate is not expected to modify Provisional Measure 664 to remove the amendment regarding the social security factor. "We will vote on Provisional Measure 664 as it came from the Chamber of Deputies; we did not discuss the issue of vetoing the social security factor, or anything like that. We will vote in the Senate on what was voted on in the Chamber of Deputies, which includes the social security factor."