Chamber approves registration of rejected election accounts.

247 - The Chamber of Deputies approved on Tuesday a bill that allows politicians to receive registration for their candidacies even if their electoral accounts are rejected. The text must be approved by the Senate to become law. Some parliamentarians believe that the rule cannot apply this year. According to estimates by the Superior Electoral Court, 21 candidates could be prevented from running if the current resolution prevails.

Read more in the Globo article:

BRASILIA - In a lightning-fast and surprising vote, as it was not on the original agenda, the Chamber of Deputies approved on Tuesday, with the support of all parties, a bill that allows politicians to receive registration for their candidacies even when their electoral accounts have been disapproved — the so-called "dirty accounts." The approval of the proposal was presented by the deputies themselves, behind the scenes, as a way to pressure the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) to review a resolution approved this year that prevents the granting of candidacy registration to those who have had their campaign accounts from previous elections disapproved. Ministers of the TSE itself had already privately admitted this retreat. Bill 3839/2012, by Deputy Roberto Balestra (PP-GO) — approved with only the PSOL voting against — determines that the electoral clearance certificate will be given to candidates who present their previous campaign accounts to the Electoral Court, as required by law, "even if the accounts are disapproved."

The bill must be approved by the Senate to become law. And even if approved by the senators before the deadline for registering candidacies—early July—there are doubts about its application in this year's elections, due to the principle of annuality. This Tuesday, during the brief voting session in the Chamber of Deputies, some parliamentarians and technical advisors said that the rule cannot apply this year.