Parliament did not pass the controversial amendment to the constitution

The Brazilian Congress voted with an absolute majority to reject a constitutional amendment limiting the rights of the federal prosecutor's office. Rejection of the innovation was one of the key demands of the anti-government protests that have rocked Brazil in recent weeks.

“I must inform you that our vote will be watched by the whole of Brazil,” the chairman of the lower house of parliament, Enrique Alves, told deputies before the start of the meeting. “I see my duty as once again emphasizing how important it is to unanimously reject this amendment.” The overwhelming majority of those present heard the speaker: 430 deputies out of 439 present spoke out against the amendment.

“Amendment 37” implied a significant restriction of the rights of the federal prosecutor’s office in the field of initiating and investigating criminal cases. According to observers, such a weakening of the prosecutor's office condones corrupt officials in the highest echelons of power, since the regular police are powerless against them. During the protests of thousands of people shaking Brazil against government corruption, the demand for abolition was one of the key ones.

The Brazilian leadership now regularly speaks of its readiness to fulfill all the demands of the protesters. At the proposal of the country's President Dilma Rousseff, a referendum on political reform will be held in September. In parallel, work begins on national programs in the fields of public transport, health care and education. Participation in them is mandatory for authorities at all levels.

In particular, President Rousseff has already promised to allocate $25 billion for the reform and development of public transport. Local authorities are already taking measures to reduce the cost of travel on public transport, due to the increase in which mass protests began in early June. The speaker of the Brazilian Senate, Renan Calheiros, proposed making travel completely free for students.

Olga Berezintseva

Brazil yields to protesters