Rio de Janeiro City Council President sees difficulties for Crivella.
With a caucus of only four council members out of a total of 51, the PRB, the party of the new mayor Marcelo Crivella, is likely to face difficulties in its relationship with the Rio de Janeiro City Council; according to the re-elected president of the council, councilman Jorge Felippe (PMDB), this situation will require "skill"; "Unlike other administrations, where mayors had 10 or 11 council members, Mayor Crivella starts with a caucus of four. The council is very divided, and he will have to be very competent and tactful. I can't guarantee that he will achieve an absolute majority; it's too early to say. But I foresee many difficulties. He will have more difficulty than Eduardo Paes," said Felipe.
Vinicius Lisboa - reporter for Agência Brasil
With a caucus of only four council members out of a total of 51, the PRB, the party of the new mayor Marcelo Crivella, may face difficulties in its relationship with the Rio de Janeiro City Council. According to the re-elected president of the council, councilman Jorge Felippe (PMDB), this situation will require political skill from the mayor's office.
"Unlike other administrations, where mayors had 10 or 11 council members, Mayor Crivella starts with a bloc of four. The City Council is very divided, and he will have to be very competent and tactful," said Felippe. "I can't guarantee that he will get an absolute majority; it's too early to say. But I foresee many difficulties. He will have more difficulty than Eduardo Paes."
The Speaker of the House, re-elected on a single slate to continue leading the House, conducted the inauguration ceremony of Crivella and the deputy mayor, Fernando Mac Dowell, this Sunday (1st). The 51 councilors who will represent the population of Rio until 2020 were also sworn in today.
Jorge Felippe said that governability should be a concern for the new city councilors. "The moment is very difficult. We can't afford to keep making mistakes."
The city's Special Secretary for Institutional Relations, federal deputy Luiz Carlos Ramos, attended the inauguration and said he believes Crivella will have the support of 28 to 30 city councilors. According to him, many are still waiting to assess the mayor's measures before taking a position.
Ramos believes that the dispute over the leadership of the committees could change the configuration of the Chamber, since 33 re-elected councilors are expected to seek to maintain their positions, while those who are new and have similar profiles will try to win them. Councilor João Mendes de Jesus (PRB), elected for his third term, believes that his group has a mission to form a group "that works for the benefit of the city. It is not the time to create divisions that will harm our work."
The most voted-for member of the PSOL party and the second most voted-for councilman in the city, Tarcísio Motta, said he views Crivella's speeches defending budget cuts with concern. "Generally, [the cuts] mean a loss of rights, and we cannot allow that," he said, promising to be a responsible opposition. "Our priorities will be education and guaranteeing rights," he stated.
Councilman Carlos Bolsonaro (PSC), the most voted in the last election, defended spending cuts and promised to move forward with the "School Without Political Parties" project. "There is a strong feeling on the streets that not only the Legislative branch but also the Executive branch needs to streamline public spending."