Amid austerity reforms, lawmakers want more public funds for campaigns

It would appear that Brazil’s political establishment is 100-percent focused on passing the pension reform. But while the new retirement rules are stirring up heated debates among parties on the House floor, congressional committees continue to operate, and other bills continue being drafted and proposed. One of which went almost completely unnoticed—but it could be extremely consequential. It more than doubles the amount of money allocated to finance electoral campaigns.

Since the 2016 election, companies are forbidden from donating to parties and candidates, as Operation Car Wash showed that bribes were often disguised as formal donations. Instead, parties would be financed by public money, by way of an electoral fund divided up in accordance with congressional representation—for example, a party with 10 percent of seats in the House would receive 10 percent of the money.

Last year, BRL...