A retreat on the bench took the tight majority in favor of, which nullifies the possibility of overthrowing the president’s veto to the project unless there is a turnaround in other parties.
The PT senators were decisive for the approval of the 18 new vacancies, passing the total chairs of the Chamber from 513 to 531, but do not intend to put themselves against a decision of their greatest political leader.
Congress as a way to circumvent the redistribution of chairs proportionally to the Brazilian population computed by the 2022 Census. The change would make seven states win vacancies in the House and seven others lose.
The increase would serve to contemplate states that are entitled to more chairs without taking places from others, reducing the chance of deputies currently in office not being able to reelect themselves in next year.
according to Datafolha survey.
The proposal was with some clearance in the House, but passed in the Senate by the minimum score for this type of project. There were 41 votes in favor of senators and only reached that number because the president of the house, (-ap) ,.
Lula, however, contrary to requests for his political articulation, which feared retaliation on the part, mainly, from the House of Representatives.
Congress has the prerogative to reject the President’s veto and make the proposal come into force. But for that you need 257 votes in the House and 41 in the Senate. If these numbers are not hit in any of the houses, Lula’s veto prevails.
The petist senators gave 5 of the 41 votes in favor of the proposal during the Senate deliberation. Without this support, there would be 36 members of the house favorable to the increase in the number of deputies, insufficient number to reject the veto.
“At that moment [da votação] There was no government position against. Now, if it comes, we will vote for the maintenance of the veto. The PT bench will vote for the maintenance of the veto, “said Senator Rogério Carvalho (PT-SE), one of the favorable to the increase in the number of deputies in June.
Carvalho is a PT leader in the house, but has temporarily away from the post to take the government’s leadership in an interim way.
“We will advise in favor of maintaining President Lula’s veto,” said the government leader in Congress, the senator (PT-AP), who in June also supported the increase of the chairs of the House.
Two other petist senators listened to the report said it was impossible for the bench to place against a veto of Lula.
In June, 7 of 81 senators did not participate in the deliberation. With the retreat of the PT, there would be a substantive adhesion of this group so that Lula’s veto will be overthrown.
In 2023, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) gave until July 30, 2025 to Congress. The Court also defined that if nothing is done, the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) will determine until October 1 this year the distribution. The decision was taken in an action filed by the State of Pará.
Sectors have argued not to deliberate on Lula’s veto until October 4th. By this reading, the TSE could not redistribute the deputies’ vacancies in time for the change in the 2026 election, as this type of change needs to be made at least one year in advance of the vote.
The idea, however, has no adhesion between senators closer to the bill. In the evaluation of this group, there is nothing that prevents the electoral justice from redistributing the vacancies without the veto was voted, as the Supreme Court expressly determined the TSE needs to resolve the issue by October 1st.
