Maneuver in the State-owned Law should have a longer path in the Senate

The project that amends the State-Owned Companies Law, in a maneuver to reduce the quarantine time for nominees for directorships and presidencies of public companies, should not go straight to the Senate floor. There are chances, therefore, that it will not be appreciated this year.

The leader of the Bolsonaro government in the Senate, Carlos Portinho (PL-RJ), submitted a request requesting that the matter, whose vote was initially scheduled for this Thursday (15), be analyzed beforehand by the Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) of the House. .

The petition presented defends the analysis of the CCJ to prevent a rule of this importance from being modified “at the pleasure of the interests of the occasion”.

After the wear and tear involving the appointment of PT member Aloizio Mercadante to the BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development) —which would benefit precisely from the maneuver—, the PT bench in the House indicates that it will not oppose the change in the schedule. Thus, the tendency is for the proposal not to be appreciated quickly.

The PT bench was upset with the connection made between the approval of the proposal and the appointment of Mercadante, arguing behind the scenes that the centrão is the main beneficiary of the change in the quarantine.

It is pointed out that another person interested in the measure would be the elected governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), who needs this time reduction to be able to make appointments from next year.

If the longer route is adopted, there are still chances that the proposal will be on the voting agenda next week, considering that the legislative recess begins on the 23rd. run with the measure next week.

The perspective that the State-owned Law, already approved in a flash in the Chamber, will encounter greater difficulties in the Senate to advance calmed the financial market, which feared the devaluation of large public companies, such as Petrobras and Banco do Brasil. Given their great weight in the stock market, a fall in the value of the papers affects the Exchange as a whole.

After the announcement that the vote in the Senate may be postponed, the Ibovespa was up on Thursday afternoon, boosted precisely by the shares of companies under government control. Petrobras’ common shares, which fell nearly 10% in the last session, recorded gains of 1.15% in the early afternoon, while BB’s, which fell 2.5%, advanced 1.5%.

Change was inserted in text about advertising and approved at the touch of a box

Although it is not on the official agenda for the session, there was a forecast that the proposal would be voted on by the senators this Thursday afternoon, two days after it passed through the Chamber of Deputies.

On Tuesday night, the federal deputies approved the project that reduces to 30 days the quarantine of nominees to occupy positions of president and director of public companies.

Currently, the State-Owned Companies Law prohibits the appointment to these positions of people who have acted, in the last 36 months, as a participant in the decision-making structure of a political party or in work related to the organization, structuring and execution of an electoral campaign.

The text approved by the deputies removes the mention of 36 months from the law. In addition, it includes a device that provides that, in order not to be prohibited, the person who has acted in the decision-making structure of a political party or in work linked to the electoral campaign must prove his withdrawal from the incompatible activity at least 30 days in advance of taking office. as administrator of a public company or government-controlled company, as well as members of boards of directors.

The approval took place a few hours after Mercadante’s nomination for the BNDES, announced by Lula during an event to celebrate the end of the activities of the technical groups of the transitional cabinet.

Rumors that there was interference by Lula’s team increased due to the fact that the president-elect had received the president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL) for breakfast hours before. At the time of the vote, some deputies went so far as to call the easing the “Merchandant Amendment”.

The reference irritated the members of the transitional cabinet, even though the party actually voted in favor of the measure — only PSDB and Novo were against it.

That is why, this Thursday (15), some PT bosses in the Senate have said behind the scenes that they will not oppose any attempt to obstruct the vote. They will simply leave the onus for the postponement or also for pressing for the vote for the members of the centrão – pointed out by them as the main beneficiaries of the measure.

Some PT supporters claim that Mercadante was used as a “scapegoat” and that the initiative to put the proposal to a vote in the Chamber of Deputies did not count on articulation by party deputies.

Lula’s team has defended that there was certainty about the legality in the PT’s case and that the change in the law was not necessary for the future president of the BNDES. Either way, the change should make his approval for the post more comfortable, and regardless, it has broader policy effects.