Even with the session, the Senate does not vote on the positive agenda.
During the day's agenda, only 42 of the 81 senators registered their presence in the House; the low quorum only allowed for the counting of deadlines for consideration of proposed amendments to the Constitution (PECs), such as those that create regional federal courts; the senators only voted on requests, in a symbolic manner; "We had an unprecedented quorum for this day and we addressed several matters, it was a very productive session," assessed the president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros (PMDB-AL).
Karine Melo
Reporter from Agência Brasil
Brasilia – Although the Senate held a deliberative session today (5) – the last one on this day of the week was almost two years ago – it ended without voting on the proposals of the positive agenda made based on popular demonstrations, even with the effort to advance the votes before the parliamentary recess, which begins on July 17.
During the day's agenda, only 42 of the 81 senators registered their presence in the House. In addition to voting requests, the session served to count the deadline for consideration of proposed amendments to the Constitution (PECs), such as those that create regional federal courts headquartered in Belém, Manaus, and Fortaleza, with jurisdiction in several capitals of those regions.
"We had an unprecedented quorum for this day and we addressed several matters; it was a very productive session," assessed the president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros (PMDB-AL).
Proposals such as the one creating free student passes for urban public transportation, which was on the agenda, have been postponed until next week. President Renan Calheiros is confident. "The schedule is tight, but I think there's enough time [to vote on everything before the recess]. If not, we will move forward during the recess and fulfill what was promised," he assured.
After the session, Renan reiterated his support for a plebiscite on political reform, but since the initiative comes from the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate can only address the issue after the federal deputies have done their part.
"Yesterday, they discussed the possibility of addressing the plebiscite in the Senate. I have always defended the plebiscite because it helps with political reform, but it will only proceed in the Senate if it is approved in the Chamber of Deputies. This idea of consulting the Senate because it was impossible to consult the Chamber of Deputies is impossible in parliamentary logic, unless it is a matter of exclusive competence of the Senate," he argued.
Edited by: Carolina Pimentel