Brasília - Public financing, party (as opposed to individual) tickets and an end to colligations in proportional elections are among the main changes in Brazil's electoral system that were put on the table at a meeting between the president of the Chamber of Deputies, João Paulo Cunha (PT-SP) and party leaders. The changes were actually suggested by the lower house's Special Commission on Political Reform after nine months of discussion and hearings.

According to the author of the texts (redator) that came out of the commission, Ronaldo Caiado (PFL-GO), if put into practice, election politics in Brazil would change substantially. He points out that the total cost of a general election nowadays runs to some R$10 billion to R$12 billion, whereas with public financing the cost would be less than 10% of that. "Our proposal puts an end to the individual campaign. Voters will cast votes for a party, not an individual candidate," explained Caiado. (AB)