Lula’s team wants to postpone voting on the Five-Year PEC

The transition team of president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) articulates with the president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), the postponement of the vote on the proposal that provides for the granting of trinkets on the salaries of judges and members of the Ministry Public.

The PEC (proposed amendment to the Constitution) 63, nicknamed the PEC of the Quinquennial, is expected to be voted by the Senate this Wednesday (30). She has the support of Pacheco, who has been resisting the offensive by the members of the transitional cabinet, arguing that the vote was agreed upon by the House bench leaders – including those of the PT.

THE Sheet, the Senate presidency indicated that the measure should not be withdrawn from the agenda in advance and that it will await the position of the majority of senators at the time of the session. “There will be no trampling and we are going to wait for all the requirements of the regiment”, he said, in a note.

The PEC of the Quinquennium was practically forgotten in the Senate drawer, almost a decade after it was presented. However, this year, she was once again the target of behind-the-scenes articulations, receiving the open support of Pacheco, the president of the House who has been receptive to the demands of the STF (Federal Supreme Court).

In particular, this proposal was being defended by the former president of the Supreme Court Luiz Fux, who intended to leave the benefit as one of the legacies of his management for the judiciary. Pacheco has already defended the measure in several judges’ events, arguing that it “corrects distortions”.

What does the Quinquennial PEC propose?

The main point is the addition of a 5% subsidy to monthly salaries every five years, with up to seven increases being possible throughout the career. In addition, it also assures members of the Judiciary and the Public Prosecutor’s Office that their previous legal activity —in law, for example— can be used for the purpose of counting their time in office.

Lula’s team has been expressing concern about the possible approval of the measure, at a time when the transitional cabinet is looking for ways to pay for the BRL 600 Bolsa Família and guarantee resources for investments and recompose the budget of some ministries. Some estimates point to an impact of BRL 100 billion from the PEC.

The feeling was expressed by Fernando Haddad, one of those quoted to be Minister of Finance, during conversations with interlocutors.

Lula then appointed Senator Jaques Wagner (PT-BA) to initiate negotiations with Pacheco and other influential leaders of the House for the withdrawal of the proposed agenda. One of those wanted was the former president of the House and president of the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission), Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP).

The situation creates a tightrope between Pacheco and the transition cabinet, at a time when Lula’s team is seeking full support from the top of Congress to move forward with the Transition PEC —which makes BRL 175 billion outside the spending ceiling possible , for the payment of BRL 600 of Bolsa Família, in addition to another BRL 23 billion for investments.

On the other hand, the President of the Senate has been defending the vote on the Five-Year PEC for several months and argues to interlocutors that it will not have an immediate fiscal impact, since the benefits are added only periodically for professionals. In addition, Pacheco claims that the five-year concession is a way of structuring careers.

Opponents criticize impact on public accounts

In addition to the allied benches of the elected government, the Quinquennium PEC faces resistance from some senators who argue that the proposal has a profound impact on public accounts.

Contrary to the measure, Alessandro Vieira (PSDB-SE) presented an amendment a few months ago requesting that the benefit be granted to all civil servants and not just to judges and members of the Public Ministry. In addition to considering this form “fairer”, the expansion of the scope of the PEC is also seen as a way of obstructing the vote.

During the Senate session this Tuesday (29), Senator Oriovisto Guimarães (Podemos-PR) asked that the vote be postponed.

“There is an estimate that the impact, just for the case of judges and prosecutors, could reach BRL 7.5 billion per year. If it is extended to all Union employees, which is the natural tendency, it will reach BRL 42 .7 billion a year. If you include other entities, such as states and municipalities, the impact could exceed BRL 100 billion. It makes no sense. This matter needs to be better discussed, it needs to be better discussed. This matter cannot be voted on tomorrow [quarta, 29]”, he stated.

Pacheco, then, made a long defense of the proposal, argued that it is a “very old claim of the judiciary” and recalled that the proposal that ended the supersalaries —the abatement of the extract of indemnity funds— that runs parallel to the five-year period.

“The intention is to vote on Wednesday, but we will identify the environment in the Senate so that, who knows, there may be a consensus of this understanding and this commitment of the Presidency, that an enactment of this constitutional amendment would not take place without the approval of the extract project , already in the Senate Constitution and Justice Commission”, concluded the President of the House.