Brasília, February 26, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - In March the Chamber of Deputies should give priority to two projects that alter electoral and party legislation. Chamber president João Paulo Cunha called a meeting with party leaders for March 4 to discuss an agreement to confer urgent status on two proposals from the Special Commission on Political Reform. Bill 2679/03 establishes exclusive public financing of election campaigns and ends voting for individual candidates in the proportional races (for federal and state deputies and municipal council members), instituting, instead, voting for prearranged party lists. Bill 1712/03 alters the period of party affiliation for candidates to elective office. The proposal determines that the candidate's first affiliation must occur at least a year before elections. In the case of changing parties, the minimal period increases to two years. Current law stipulates a single one-year minimal period. According to Cunha, "the best way for the Chamber of Deputies to react to this moment is to face the debate and, with these proposals, foster a revolution in our electoral system and the party system in Brazil."
Other matters which should also be analyzed by the Deputies when they reconvene on March 2 are Executive Bill 2546/03, which creates the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), six resolutions to change the Internal Statutes, and eight provisional measures that have been paralyzing the agenda since last Saturday (21).
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
The Public-Private Partnerships project, which was approved in the Special Commission on February 18, regulates public works and service contracts between the public sector and private companies under distinct conditions, including the resubmission of proposals and the offer of payment guarantees. According to Deputy Paulo Bernardo (PT-PR), rapporteur of the proposal, the major advantage of the project is the stipulation that government authorities will only pay their corporate partners after the investment has been made. "This can mean the end of unfinished projects in the country, since under this system private enterprise will have an interest in concluding all projects," he explained. The chief modification introduced in the Special Commission to the text presented by Bernardo was the elimination of precedence in payments to Public-Private Partnerships. The Commission approved a motion to separate this item for individual consideration apart from the text of the proposal. The mechanism of precedence would enable companies that invest in partnerships with the government to receive public funds before they are spent on other public works. The Administration is expected to attempt to restore this item when the proposal is voted on the floor of the Chamber.
This information comes from the Agência Câmara web site. (DAS)
