Feliciano conditions his resignation on the departure of PT members from the CCJ.

Ivan Richard
Reporter from Agência Brasil

Brasilia – The president of the Human Rights and Minorities Commission (CDHM), Deputy Pastor Marco Feliciano (PSC-SP), ignored the appeal made today (9) by the majority of the Chamber's leaders for him to resign from his position. The deputy is accused of racism and homophobia and also of fraud. As a condition for resigning from the presidency of the commission, Feliciano demands that the PT remove deputies José Genoino (PT-SP) and João Paulo Cunha (PT-SP) from the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ), as both have been convicted by the Supreme Federal Court (STF). The condition imposed by Feliciano was not accepted.

According to some leaders, during the meeting, Marco Feliciano positioned himself as a victim and pledged to avoid controversial statements. Last week, for example, the pastor said that before he took over as president of the CDHM (Commission on Human Rights and Minorities), the body was controlled by Satan.

According to the leader of the PPS party, Representative Rubens Bueno (PR), Feliciano is damaging the image of the House. Bueno stated that Feliciano ignored the leaders' appeal to resign and, as a result, became responsible for the crisis. "He cannot place himself above the institution [Chamber of Deputies] and is not up to the task of presiding over the committee," said Bueno.

Meanwhile, PSOL leader Ivan Valente (SP) accused Feliciano of "taking political advantage" of the controversy. "He denied requests to leave and proposed to continue. We understand this as a great disrespect. He knows he is profiting economically and politically from this," Valente criticized.

At the end of the meeting with the leaders, Feliciano avoided the press and only asked that they give him a chance to work. The congressman said that, since assuming the presidency of the Council for Human Rights and Minorities, he has already lost six kilos and that he is "trying to live".

At the leaders' meeting, the Speaker of the House, Henrique Eduardo Alves (PMDB-RN), revoked the request approved last week in the committee, at Feliciano's request, to prevent protesters from attending the committee meetings.

With this, the next meetings will be open, but Feliciano may restrict access to people if he considers it necessary for the proper conduct of the work. "Tomorrow (10), we will open the session. If there is a demonstration, we will go to the rules, Article 272," said Feliciano. This article states that spectators or visitors who behave inappropriately in the Chamber will be removed from the premises, by decision of the president of the House or of a committee.

Editing: Nadia Franco