Political reform: PMDB's proposal includes private funding and an end to reelection.
The PMDB presented on Tuesday the 17th a set of proposals for political reform, including the end of reelection and the maintenance of private campaign financing, provided it is limited to one candidate per office; the proposals were prepared by the Ulysses Guimarães Foundation – the PMDB's research and studies institution – and delivered by the entity's president, Moreira Franco, to the party's national president and Vice-President of the Republic, Michel Temer.
Luciano Nascimento - Reporter for Agência Brasil
The PMDB presented today (17) a set of proposals from the party for political reform, among them, the end of reelection and the maintenance of private financing of campaigns, provided that it is limited to one candidate per position.
The proposals were drawn up by the Ulysses Guimarães Foundation – a research and studies institution of the PMDB party – and delivered by the entity's president, Moreira Franco, to the party's national president and Vice-President of the Republic, Michel Temer. The eight-page document also includes proposals for adopting a pure district voting system, the so-called "distritão," with the election of the candidates with the most votes; the end of coalitions in proportional elections; five-year terms for deputies, councilors, and heads of the Executive branch (federal, state, and municipal); and ten-year terms for senators.
Upon receiving the document, Temer said that the National Congress is the "absolute master" of political reform and that he believes the matter will be voted on this year. "We have an obligation not to fail at this moment, precisely at the instant when the PMDB holds the presidency of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The country has great confidence that political reform will now move forward."
The President of the Ulysses Guimarães Foundation, Moreira Franco, the Vice-President, Michel Temer, and the Minister of Aviation, Eliseu Padilha, during the presentation of proposals for Political Reform (Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil)
The Vice President of the Republic, Michel Temer, receives the PMDB's political reform proposal. Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil
The next step, according to Franco, will be the beginning of negotiations with other parties in Congress to move the proposals forward. "[The political reform] becomes a reality based on the negotiations that the president of the PMDB, Michel Temer, will undertake to, together with the leaders of the Chamber and the Senate, advance the proposals we are making," he said.
According to Franco, maintaining private campaign financing with limitations so that each company can only support one candidate per position will bring transparency to the donation process. "The contribution will have to be made to the party for this candidate, and a ceiling will be set for contributions from both companies and individuals, so that the system has absolute transparency," he argued.
The PMDB's (Brazilian Democratic Movement Party) political reform proposal also includes the end of reelection, extending terms from four to five years. The transition period would begin with the 2016 municipal elections, "so that in 2022 we have all positions being contested at the same time," according to Franco. The party also defends the so-called performance clause, which prevents the parliamentary functioning of a party that does not reach 5% of the votes in at least one-third of the states. The measure was approved in 1995, but was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Federal Court for being considered detrimental to small parties.