Geddel denies feeling embarrassed by arrest warrants.

Carolina Gonçalves – Reporter for Agência Brasil

The Chief Minister of the Government Secretariat, Geddel Vieira Lima, denied this Tuesday (7) that the arrest warrants for the President of the Senate, Renan Calheiros (PMDB-AL), Senator Romero Jucá (PMDB-RR), the suspended President of the Chamber of Deputies, Eduardo Cunha (PMDB-RJ), and former President of the Republic José Sarney create discomfort in the government of interim President Michel Temer.

“No embarrassment,” said the minister, avoiding making any further comment on the decision of the Attorney General of the Republic, Rodrigo Janot, according to the newspaper report. The GlobeGeddel made the statement after his first meeting with the allied base in the Chamber and the new government leader, André Moura (PSC-SE).

Moura even adopted the tone of Geddel's speech, saying that Janot's decision must be respected, but guaranteed that the requests will not affect the allied base.

“We’ve had situations like this before [the accusation involving former minister Romero Jucá that resulted in his removal from the Temer government], and the government’s representatives didn’t let these things contaminate our work here. That’s why we voted on the 2016 fiscal target, we voted on the vetoes, and last week we managed to approve 15 bills. Today’s meeting shows that the base is united around the agenda of interest to the country,” he stated.

polls

In the meeting preceding the Leaders' Meeting, scheduled for 15 pm, with all the leaders present in the House, Temer's allied base agreed to waive the waiting period for the proposed constitutional amendment (PEC) that extends the Union Revenue Detachment (DRU) and vote on the matter in the second round. The PEC increases from 20% to 30% the percentage that can be reallocated from the revenue of all federal taxes and social contributions and creates a similar mechanism for states, municipalities, and the Federal District.

Another matter concerns pension funds, creating mechanisms to prevent the manipulation of such institutions by political parties, such as the prohibition of appointments of people who have engaged in political-party activity in the two years prior to the appointment. Interim President Michel Temer announced yesterday (6) that all nominations for directors and presidents of state-owned companies and pension funds have been suspended until these matters are voted on.

"At this moment that the country is going through, with such important matters, we cannot fail to approve them. If the opposition, and especially the PT, opposes these matters, it is because they believe that abuses and corruption should remain," Moura stated.

Regarding the State-Owned Enterprises Law, which establishes rules for transparency and management, the leaders of the base agreed on some adjustments. One of them is the article that deals with the requirement of 10 years of experience in the sector for appointments. This rule would prevent, for example, the appointment of Pedro Parente to head Petrobras.

The second-round vote on the Health PEC (Proposed Constitutional Amendment), considered a "bombshell" for the government, was also postponed. In this case, Moura explained that the base decided to wait for a proposal that is being structured by the Planalto Palace to limit government spending.

Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles has been scheduled to explain the terms of the text to the legislature next week. "We have to wait for the proposal that will come from the government to vote on the Health Amendment because it limits spending. The proposal should arrive next week."