Vice-president: political reform should start with popular initiative

Brazil's Vice-President Michel Temer argued today (Dec 16) in Rio de Janeiro that society should bring forward a popular initiative in an attempt to start the much talked about political reform, which, in his view, must not be further put off. “Popular initiatives move the country, and by doing so, they reach the Legislative Power,” he argued, adding that he is not in favor of holding a plebiscite (popular ballot before a law is passed); instead, he calls for a referendum (a vote after a law is passed).

The president further claims that the reform should include rules which make it impossible for political parties and coalitions to proliferate, which he believes goes against democracy. “Today, Brazil doesn't have political parties; they're just a number of acronyms. If the program of our party [the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, or PMDB] is analyzed side by side with the 28 other parties, they're all the same. There are no significant differences between them,” he noted, during a meeting held by PMDB early this morning (16) to discuss proposals for a political reform.

Temer further remarked that a number of attempts at a political reform were made in the past, all of which left unfinished. He believes now is the appropriate time for a new one. “After the elections, I didn't see a single candidate [regardless of the position aimed for] claiming it was ok to go on like this. We need to change the picture,” he stressed.

Michel Temer also expressed his support for the end of the proportional system for the election of deputies and local councilmen. In his opinion, it generates distortions by allowing a candidate to become a deputy with a few more than 280 votes, for instance, while another, with over 120 thousand votes, may not be granted a seat at Parliament.

The Electoral Court, however, explains that system currently in effect takes into consideration not just the votes garnered by the candidate individually, but also all the votes for his/her party or coalition.

For Temer, the so called “district system” (in which cities are divided into districts which choose their own candidates by majority vote) could be adopted in the municipalities with over 200 thousand inhabitants and in the states. He went on to say that companies should still be allowed to finance electoral campaigns, as long as a company sticks to a single candidate. He also argued for the end of the presidential re-elections, and an extension of the presidential tenure from four to six years.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira de Oliveira