Congressional session suspended after insults and commotion.
The session to analyze 10 vetoes by Michel Temer on projects approved by the Legislature was suspended for 10 minutes after a commotion in the plenary; after Congressman João Alberto, who was presiding over the session, denied a point of order to Congressman Wewerton Rocha (PDT-MA), there were protests from opposition parliamentarians and, in an agitated state, Rocha threw a copy of the Senate rules at the Senate President, Eunício Oliveira (PMDB-CE); after the tumult, Eunício resumed the veto vote, allowing the other leaders who had not yet made their submissions to guide their parties, and the voting panel was reopened for a new vote.
247 - The session of the National Congress intended to clear the agenda and analyze 10 presidential vetoes was suspended for 10 minutes due to a commotion in the plenary. Parliamentarians surrounded the presiding table. The confusion began when Congressman Weverton Rocha (PDT-MA) asked for the floor to raise a point of order during the vote.
Senator João Alberto (PMDB-MA), who was presiding over the proceedings, rejected the point of order without even hearing it. Opposition deputies, including those from the PDT, PT, and PV parties, said that the rules of procedure were not being followed. The Senate president, Eunício Oliveira, then took over the direction of the session, and there was a complaint that the voting was concluded without the party blocs having been instructed.
Irritated, Rocha threw a copy of the rules of procedure at Eunício, but missed the senator. Legislative police surrounded Eunício's chair. There was pushing and shoving between parliamentarians and also with the legislative security guards. Deputy Laerte Bessa (PR-DF) tried to push Paulo Pimenta (PT-RS), who retaliated. Eunício suspended the session, which resumed after about ten minutes, with the parliamentarians already calmed down.
After the commotion, Eunício resumed the veto vote, allowing the other leaders who had not yet made their submissions to guide their groups, and the panel was reopened for a new vote.
The vetoes analyzed
The session was convened to analyze Michel Temer's vetoes of sections of projects approved by the Legislature. The aim is to clear the agenda to vote on the bill that revises the fiscal targets for 2017 and 2018. Before the confusion, parliamentarians had upheld most of the vetoes. To overturn a veto, the votes of at least 257 deputies and 41 senators are required.