Brazil Congress goes into unofficial parliamentary recess until August

Brazil Congress goes into unofficial recess this Monday (Jul. 18). Only debate sessions are scheduled, without deliberations, which actually means informal holidays for senators and deputies.

The Brazilian Constitution establish a period for the parliamentary recess in the last two weeks of July until August 1, but before the recess they have to approve the Budget Directive (LDO) for the following year until July 17.

This year, the delay in forming the Joint Budget Commission and the busy schedule in the Senate and in the Chamber of Deputies due to the political crisis were the reasons for not voting the 2017 LDO before the recess. However, this has not prevented the Congress to decide to take the unofficial recess, and to hold only debate sessions. The commission will also not work during the period.

With the recess in the Chamber of Deputies, bills, which are very important for the interim President Michel Temer's government, will have to wait until the deputies return in August. Among the relevant issues, there are the bills to renegotiate the state debt with the federal government and to relieve Petrobras of obligation to operate pre-salt oil.

The government wait anxiously for the vote on the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution which sets a ceiling on public spending. The vote on the request to expel suspended deputy Eduardo Cunha, former lower house speaker, was also scheduled for August.

The only board that will be formally active in the Congress is the Procedural Impeachment Commission, which analyzes the suspended President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment request in the Senate, because the Responsibility Crimes Act does not allow the commission to take recess.

However, the Impeachment Commission will hold sessions during this period, because it is currently waiting the 15 days granted for Rousseff's defense to make their final claims. The next meeting is scheduled for August 2. Senate President Renan Calheiros reported that the final vote on the impeachment trial shall be taken between August 20 and 23.

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta