Amnesty Amendment Bill Approved in Brazil, Reducing the Quota for Blacks in Elections

One of the largest lobbies in the political world advanced this Thursday (11) on the Chamber of Deputies floor, which approved the so-called PEC of Amnesty (Constitutional Amendment Proposal)— in the first round, by 344 votes to 89, in the second, by 338 votes to 83.

With support from Lula's PT and Bolsonaro's PL, the proposal revokes the determination that blacks must receive election funds proportionally to the number of candidates — in 2022, blacks and browns accounted for 50.27% of candidacies — grants pardon for irregularities, and also opens a generous and perpetual refinancing program for the current 29 political parties' debts.

The PEC now goes to the Senate. As it is a constitutional amendment, if approved by the senators, it is promulgated directly, without the need for presidential veto or sanction. Regarding the issue of blacks, the PEC aims to overturn the Supreme Court (STF) decision that obliges parties to distribute the billion-dollar campaign fund proportionally to the number of white and black (black and brown) candidates. This has been in place since 2023.

In the 2022 race, for example, blacks and browns should have received 50% of the R$ 5 billion ($ 915 million) campaign fund, but the determination was generally disregarded by the parties. The approved proposal now establishes wording that has undergone several modifications in recent days, many of them made this Thursday. According to the text that was voted on, parties will allocate 30% of resources to black candidates — that is, reducing the percentage from about 50% to 30%.

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