The Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) of Public Security should become the next focus of tension between the and the . Although the text is treated by Planalto as a priority to improve public perception of the area, its processing occurs amid tension between the Executive and Legislative branches, aggravated in recent weeks by defeats in votes and internal disputes.
The president of the Chamber, (Republicanos-PB), announced that the college of leaders will discuss next Tuesday (2). The rapporteur, Mendonça Filho (União-PE), will present details of the opinion, which should be formalized in the special commission on Thursday (4). The proposal has already passed through the CCJ, also under the report of Mendonça, and is now entering the decisive phase before the plenary.
The advance comes at a time when the government is fighting a dispute that intensified after the overturn of presidential vetoes and the weakening of political articulation. Deputies and senators have signaled resistance to agendas defended by Planalto, and Legislative leaders claim that there is “fatigue” with the Executive due to non-compliance with agreements, especially in the release of amendments.
In this politically tense environment, the Security PEC must increase the conflict. The original proposal sent by the government came under pressure to tighten rules, reflecting the strength of the public security bench and center and opposition parties. The text tends to be profoundly modified, as was the case with the approval of the anti-faction bill, in one of Lula’s biggest defeats in the Legislature.
HAS Young Pandeputy Alberto Fraga (PL-DF) stated that the report will bring robust changes, such as the discussion on life imprisonment, reducing the age of criminal responsibility, ending the progression of the regime for heinous crimes and the creation of a mandatory fund for the sector, financed with resources from sports betting.
Another point of conflict involves the company’s role in combating organized crime. While the government proposed to centralize coordination in the PF, deputies defend maintaining the leading role of the state police, which carry out the majority of arrests. There is also disagreement about the destination of seized assets — the government wants to centralize the resources in the National Fund, while part of Congress proposes that each police force keep the amounts collected.
“Seventy to eighty percent of arrests against organized crime are made by military and civil police. It is not fair to remove the power of these forces and place it in the hands of a police force that often does not have enough personnel to operate throughout the country”, argues Fraga.
Penal toughening and controversial measures
The PEC’s preliminary report must include historical agendas from the public security bench, some of which face resistance from progressive sectors and constitutional barriers. Among the points mentioned are:
- Life imprisonment: the inclusion of this type of penalty in the constitutional text.
- Reduction of the age of criminal responsibility: change in ages for criminal liability.
- End of regime progression: for those convicted of heinous and violent crimes.
- “Stamped” amount: the creation of a mandatory fund for public security, along the same lines as the constitutional percentages required for Health and Education.
Planalto tries to reduce the temperature of the clash. The Minister of Institutional Relations, Gleisi Hoffmann, met with Hugo Motta to ask for progress on three priority projects before the recess: the Security PEC itself, the persistent debtor project and the review of tax benefits. In the Senate, the government is also trying to rebuild bridges after the deterioration caused by the appointment of Jorge Messias to the STF, contrary to the interests of the president of the House, Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP).
Despite attempts to get closer, the scenario is uncertain. Congressional leaders assess that the relationship with the government remains fragile and that new defeats for Planalto could occur in the veto vote and in the economic agenda. The Security PEC, considered strategic by Lula, should, therefore, become a new test of strength between the Executive and Legislative — and another chapter in the dispute that already projects repercussions for the 2026 election.
