Brasília, 5/6/2004 (Agência Brasil) - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is reported to have said that the decision by the Senate to permit the reopening of bingo parlor and slot maching gambling was not a government defeat, but a defeat for the country. "It is the country that is interested in putting an end to this type of gambling. It was not a defeat for the government or the president because the government and the president intend to continue their efforts to stop this type of gambling in Brazil," declared minister of Political Coordination, Aldo Rebelo.

Last night, in a tumultuous session, by a difference of one vote (32 to 31), the Senate rejected a government decree (medida provisoria) which closed down bingo parlor and slot machine gambling.

Rebelo declared that the government is examining other means to achieve its objective of closing down that type of gambling. He said the Senate vote was not a big deal because federal legislation exists which prohibits such gambling. "The damage is only partial because bingos are already prohibited by law," he said.

The minister avoided blaming government senators for the result of the vote. Four of them, including the leader of the government in the Senate, Aloizio Mercadante (PT-SP), were absent when the vote took place. Rebelo denied the government was caught napping by the vote.

The decree the Senate rejected was what is known as a "Temporary Measure" (Medida Provisoria). Such decrees become law as soon as they are signed by the president, but have to be ratified by Congress (in both houses) within 45 days (and if the decree is to remain in effect, congressional ratification has to be renewed at regular intervals in the future). In accordance with the constitution, Temporary Measures must be "urgent and relevant." Voting on Temporary Measures takes precedence over votes on other bills. Thus they tend to cause bottlenecks in the legislative process. In rejecting the "bingo decree" last night, the opposition claimed that the decree was neither urgent nor relevant.

Translator: Allen Bennett