Aécio reappears and calls for the return of corporate money to politics.

Minas 247 – Directly responsible for the 2016 coup that destroyed Brazil's image and economy, Senator Aécio Neves (PSDB-MG), the second most unpopular politician in Brazil after Michel Temer, has reappeared in the public debate with a misguided idea: the return of corporate campaign financing – the root of all recent scandals.

Aécio still has an arrest warrant pending before the Supreme Federal Court (STF), stemming from his dealings with JBS.

Read his article below:

Last chance

Amidst the agenda of fundamental reforms to get the country back on track, one is urgent, as it has a deadline. By the beginning of October, we need to approve new rules that will be in effect for next year's general elections. Every effort must be made to bring politics closer to the people before it's too late.

In recent weeks, the debate surrounding political reform has been distorted by proposals that are far removed from, or even contrary to, what the population desires. This is the case with the adoption of the electoral system known as "distritão" (a system where candidates with the most votes win) and the creation of a public campaign financing fund to fill the gap left by the prohibition of donations from private sources.

No one disputes that democracy has costs. But involving more taxpayer money at a time when the Brazilian state is on the verge of bankruptcy, due to the embezzlement that marked the administration removed in 2016, does not seem to be a solution.

Ideally, private financing should be allowed again, under strict rules and oversight. The "distritão" system would only be justified as a transition to a mixed-member proportional representation system. However, in both cases, there is no longer time for changes with a view to 2018. 

Leaving aside the controversy, there are proposals ready to be considered by Congress that, if approved, will result in a much better political and electoral system for the country. And it will be in effect for the next election.

I am referring specifically to the proposed amendment to the Constitution (PEC) No. 282, reported in the Chamber by Representative Shéridan (PSDB-RR).

The text currently under discussion originates from Constitutional Amendment Proposal 36, presented by Senator Ricardo Ferraço and myself last year, and already approved by the Senate. Its objectives are: to prohibit coalitions between parties in proportional elections—that is, for federal and state deputies and city councilors—and to establish a minimum performance clause for parties to have access to public funds, radio and television airtime, and parliamentary functioning. 

What is the aim of this initiative? To attack some of the worst distortions of our representative democracy. Coalitions, as they are today, end up electing representatives who are indifferent to the will of the electorate. The adoption of the performance clause aims to prevent the proliferation of parties interested solely in deals fueled by public money.

The original text stipulates that coalitions will be prohibited starting in 2020, when the next city councilors will be elected. The ban will extend to the election of state representatives starting in 2022.

The measure forces parties to maintain some identity with voters and will help put an end to those that represent only themselves: of the 25 currently present in Congress, it is possible that half will survive.

The same should happen with the imposition of minimum percentages of votes (starting at 1,5% in 2018 and reaching 3%, distributed across at least nine states) to access party funds and have radio and TV airtime.

Parties that do not reach these levels may organize themselves into federations, with a minimum of ideological and programmatic affinity. 

PEC 282 is ready for a vote. Therefore, it is imperative that party leaders in the Chamber reach an agreement and bring the text to the plenary session immediately.

In politics, too, the perfect is the enemy of the good. There's no point in delaying reform in search of a solution that solves all the problems of Brazilian democracy, since it may never come.

And it certainly won't come in the timeframe and with the urgency that the current crisis demands. 

The advancements contained in Constitutional Amendment Proposal 282 pave the way for the next step: adopting a mixed-member proportional representation system, bringing representatives closer to those they represent.

Following this, the country could be ready for definitive reform, with the adoption, subject to a popular referendum, of a parliamentary system of government. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity.