Politics

How Brazil’s House Speaker wields his power

House Speaker Arthur Lira has managed to whip votes for government-backed projects within the opposition to Jair Bolsonaro. And here's how he does it

House Speaker Arthur Lira (PP-AL) during an event with sugar producers in São Paulo. Photo: Igor do Vale/Folhapress
House Speaker Arthur Lira (PP-AL) during an event with sugar producers in São Paulo. Photo: Igor do Vale/Folhapress

In most democracies, the role of congressional speaker comes with significant power, thanks to their influence over the legislative agenda. But as political scientist Beatriz Rey explained in a recent op-ed, these powers have been overblown in Brazil — making the country’s House Speaker capable of re-shaping the country’s entire political landscape.

Since the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff in 2016, Congress has held an increasing amount of power over the Executive branch. Under the current House Speaker Arthur Lira, Brazil has become a de facto parliamentary system — with the speaker exerting direct control over immense chunks of the federal budget. 

One such example is the so-called “rapporteur-designated grants,” opaque instruments allowing lawmakers to destine federal funds to projects of their choosing. In simple terms: it is an almost bottomless barrel of political pork used to buy support. Mr. Lira has personally managed who gets what — and under which conditions. One of his aides has even been tasked with keeping the books of these shady budgetary grants.

In 2021, Mr. Lira’s share of the budget — which the Brazilian press mistakenly calls the “Jair Bolsonaro’s secret budget” — amounted to BRL 11 billion (USD 1.97 billion), with an additional BRL 5.8 billion made available to senators. In the upper house, a close ally to Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco manages the grants.

While he does not control the money directly, Jair Bolsonaro is complicit with the shady dealings, as it often helps approve his government’s bills in Congress. 

The Brazilian Report collected public data on rapporteur-designated grants to analyze...

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