In just three years, the current legislature of the Federal Chamber has already accumulated 128 leaves of incumbent deputies to assume other positions, surpassing the total recorded in the previous four years, of 108, according to a survey carried out by Globo.
The data reveals the advancement of a common practice in Congress: the quick passage of licensed deputies so that they can participate in relevant votes, report on impact projects or indicate parliamentary amendments. These “express” deputies state that divided action generates more focused and well-informed participation about local needs.
The discussion gained strength in recent weeks with the choice of São Paulo’s Secretary of Public Security,
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The decision by the president of the Chamber, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), to use the name of opposition opened a crisis with the Palácio do Planalto. The government highlights Derrite’s proximity to São Paulo governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), Lula’s possible opponent in 2026, and the fact that he is considered a pre-candidate for the Senate.
Derrite asked to temporarily resign from his position in São Paulo to resume his position as deputy and report on the project, but this is not the first time. In 2024, he also left the secretariat for a few weeks and returned to Brasília to present the project report that limited the temporary release of prisoners, the “saidinha”.
Prerogative
Chamber data confirms the trend. In the current legislature, there are already 99 requests for licenses without a fixed term to occupy state departments, compared to 80 registered in the previous four years. The number of licenses to assume ministries has also exceeded the period from 2019 to 2023: there were 29 requests in three years, compared to 28 in the entire past legislature.
Leave of absence is the prerogative of all deputies and can be justified for a variety of reasons, in addition to moving to other positions. On March 20 of this year, for example, deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) requested a leave of absence for a fixed period of 120 days, to deal with private interests — on that occasion, he went to the United States, from where he did not return to resume his mandate. Officially, Eduardo has been serving in the Chamber since July, but is at risk of losing his mandate due to his consecutive absence.
The phenomenon is not accidental: the license is a legitimately foreseen mechanism, but it has been increasingly used to reorganize internal forces, accommodate allies and also allow substitutes to circulate around the plenary.
There are other names that stand out in the back and forth: Rio’s municipal health secretary, Daniel Soranz leads the ranking with 11 licenses. In addition to him, his deputy, Renan Ferreirinha, holds a municipal secretariat in Rio, Education.
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According to Soranz, the work at the municipal secretariat is positive, and allows for action that is more focused on the local needs of managers. “I do this all the time, including reporting on government projects, such as the Public Procurement process, which has already been approved in the Senate, which will generate savings.”
Derrite defends his rapid participation in the Congress as a technical and institutional recognition of the work he has been carrying out in São Paulo against the factions. “It is also a way of being accountable to those who entrusted me with the mandate”, he stated.
Another increasingly growing example is the case of deputies who return to office only at the end of the year to indicate their parliamentary amendments. Ricardo Barros (PP-PR), for example, did this: after taking office in February 2023, he resigned from his position less than a week later to take up a secretariat in Paraná. Barros returned to office on November 22, 2023.
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According to the delivery receipt for the amendments, he presented R$37 million in nominations on the same day and, according to the Chamber, requested leave two days later, on November 24, 2023. A similar process took place in 2014. This year, Barros is fulfilling his mandate normally in the Chamber after returning to office in March of this year.
Barros defended the license requests, stating that it is a parliamentary prerogative. “If you don’t return (to the mandate), your deputy indicates the amendments.”
For political scientist and researcher at the University of Lisbon, Beatriz Rey, licenses were created for exceptions and not to become a common practice.
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She assesses that, although there are exceptions, substitutes are not involved in the legislative routine because they are fulfilling a temporary role. “This has a negative effect on parliamentary performance as lawmakers.”
