Opposition squeals as government takes control of January 8 inquiry

Rogério Marinho, the opposition whip in the Senate, on Friday said he will appeal a decision by Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco in an effort to gain more seats in the upcoming select committee to investigate the January 8 riots.

Mr. Marinho claimed that Mr. Pacheco’s decision on the number of committee spots for the government and opposition was “chicanery.”

Last week, Mr. Pacheco read to a joint session of Congress a motion presented by pro-Bolsonaro lawmakers creating an inquiry into the January 8 riots, carried out by a panel of 16 senators and 16 House members. 

As head of Congress, it is up to Mr. Pacheco to rule on points of order regarding joint committees. In order for the committee to be created, the number of seats for each party bloc must first be determined so that the parties can appoint members.

The dispute centers on the date used to calculate the number of spots for each party bloc. Mr. Marinho argued last week that the base date should be February 15, the day the party blocs were originally defined in the current legislature. 

However, hours before Mr. Pacheco read the motion to create the January 8 riots inquiry, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s congressional whip Senator Randolfe Rodrigues swapped party blocs, giving the most pro-government bloc an extra seat on the committee.

In a decision issued on Friday, Mr. Pacheco argued that there’s a difference between the rules for party caucuses and party blocs, and that the rules of procedure do not define deadlines for the latter. Thus, the date used to proportionally assign spots should be the moment the motion was read, after Mr. Rodrigues swapped blocs.

Separately, right-wing Congresswoman Adriana Ventura requested a spot in the committee reserved for the minority. House Speaker Arthur Lira told Mr. Pacheco that Ms. Ventura’s Novo party does not qualify for the spot, as it only has three House members and falls short of the constitutional 15-member minimum to appoint a leader. Ms. Ventura is currently listed on the House website as the “representative” of Novo.

Mr. Marinho argued in the press conference that Senator Rodrigues’ party Rede is also short of the minimum, as it has only one House member.

If Mr. Pacheco’s decision stands, opposition blocs will have only 7 guaranteed spots in the joint committee, compared to 10 spots for government-friendly lawmakers and 15 spots for the remaining independent or “Big Center” blocs.

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