Government and Catholic bishops consider political reform proposals

Minister Miguel Rossetto, secretary-general of the Presidency, and Cardinal Raimundo Damasceno, president of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), met in Brasília on Thursday (Feb 5) to discuss proposals for the political reform. Among its central topics is banning companies from financing electoral campaigns—at least that is what both the Federal Government  and CCBB expect, says Minister Rossetto.

“We have to rethink the ways campaigns and parties are sponsored in the country. We must put an end to business financing, as it generates a process of increasing exclusion in democratic participation, because only those who have resources are able to participate in the democratic process,” the minister told Agência Brasil after the meeting.

The meeting was also an opportunity to make an in-depth analysis of topics seen as top priorities in the reform plan, among which the party-list proportional representation—regarded as more democratic, because it lowers the potential of popular candidates, such as artists, football players, and  other celebrities, known as “vote catchers”. In the current system, the total amount of votes for a party or coalition is divided by the number of candidates, which allows a celebrity elected with millions of votes, for instance, to cause candidates from the same party or coalition to be elected, despite having garnered a considerably low number of ballots.

According to the minister, the plan is to have voters choose a party first, and then the candidate they would vote for. He believes that becoming familiar with the ideas and proposals of political parties makes it easier for society to keep a close watch on them. “This has been the experience in the great western democracies,” he stated.

The government and the CNBB are also considering new forms of encouraging women to join political parties, and, as a result, to participate more actively in the country's political life.

Rossetto added, “There's a number of project to stimulate direct democracy, through referenda, plebiscites, and popular consultations as set forth in the Brazilian Constitution.”

“All those issues allow us to move forward towards a representative democracy that is direct and has a higher quality level, apart from better reflecting Brazilian society, which wants more room for freedom and democracy, taking part in an ever bigger project of change in the country,” the minister noted.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira