Opposition senators file request for hearings committee

Members of Jair Bolsonaro’s opposition in the Senate filed a request to launch a parliamentary hearings committee to investigate the government’s handling of the pandemic. 

Sponsored by Senator Randolfe Rodrigues of environmentalist party Rede, the request was co-signed by another 28 senators (out of 81), two more than the minimum required. The document states that “the federal government has systematically violated Brazilians’ basic rights of access to life and healthcare.”

Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco is now forced to submit the request to the floor. Senators who co-signed the petition will have until midnight of the same day to remove their support for the investigation, meaning President Jair Bolsonaro’s allies are likely to work hard behind the scenes to convince enough of them to defect.

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