In an audience this Thursday (5th) with the president of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal, Augusto Santos Silva, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), returned to defend the debate on the adoption of semi-presidentialism in Brazil. . Lira asked for Santos Silva’s support so that representatives from Portugal, a country that adopts a similar political system, help with the debate in Brazil.
In Portuguese semi-presidentialism, the president is elected by popular vote and represents the state. There is also the figure of the prime minister, leader of the most voted party in each election for the Legislative, who is appointed by the President of the Republic.
The Chamber of Deputies established a working group which is focused on the proposal which, if approved, would only be effective in 2030. “We will need to have this discussion about the change of system in Brazil. It’s a controversial topic, because all candidates now see a loss of power. Brazil is very peculiar, we have geographic distances between the capital of Amazonas and Rio Grande do Sul, the distance from Lisbon to Moscow”, said Lira alongside the Portuguese.
Still in the deputy’s assessment, the current system has proved to be unfeasible due to the large number of parties in Congress. And he added that the Brazilian model requires a coalition between the Legislative and the Executive. “We have 23 guiding parties in the Chamber. For me to do a simple highlight vote, I take 30 minutes just for the parties to guide. In this adaptation, the Parliament is led to form a coalition government”, justified Arthur Lira.
Still in the criticism of Brazilian presidentialism, the deputy stressed that the fulfillment of campaign promises is hostage to a coalition between the parties. When that happens, he said, governments are accused of doing give-and-take. On the other hand, he noted, when that doesn’t happen, accusations of incompetence and lack of governance begin.
Business
The bilateral and harmonious relationship between Brazil and Portugal was another theme of the meeting. In this sense, Lira recalled that it is necessary to formulate laws that facilitate commercial relations for the expansion of Portuguese companies in Brazil.
