Chamber resumes sessions after recess: presence of councilors marks return to work The first session of the Manaus City Council (CMM) after the parliamentary recess was interrupted due to lack of quorum, this Monday (3). The absence of councilors during the debates provoked demands among the parliamentarians themselves and criticism from the opposition, which also questioned the absence of the president of the House, Davi Reis (Avante). After about a month of parliamentary recess, the first session of the second semester ended in the early afternoon. During the agenda, the electronic panel recorded the presence of 36 councilors. However, at the end of this stage, when parliamentarians made statements and discussed topics of interest to the city, the plenary was practically empty. The lack of a minimum quorum of 21 councilors forced the Board of Directors to interrupt work for a few minutes until there was a sufficient number to begin voting on the matters included in the agenda. ? Join the g1 AM channel on WhatsApp The absence of councilors became the target of demands among the remaining parliamentarians themselves. Councilor Rodrigo Guedes (Republicans) criticized the attendance registration system adopted by the Chamber and stated that the practice allows parliamentarians to be considered present even without remaining during the entire session. "The obligation is to have a minimum number of 21. Often there are 23, 24 in a Chamber of 41 councillors. But the councilors present justifications and there is no discount. I highly doubt that the Chamber has ever deducted the salary of any absent councillor", he stated. The parliamentarian also said that it is enough to register attendance at the beginning or end of the session to be considered present, regardless of participation in debates and votes. "If you register your presence at 8:30 am and leave, you are considered present. If you register one minute before the end of the session, you are also present. This is an immorality that happens daily in the Chamber", he declared. According to councilors interviewed during the session, the tendency is for absences to increase throughout the second semester due to the electoral calendar. With elections scheduled for October, parliamentarians will have to reconcile legislative activities with campaign commitments, which, in their opinion, could further compromise attendance at the sessions. Inspector of the Chamber and president of the Constitution, Justice and Writing Committee (CCJR), councilor Gilmar Nascimento (Avante) stated that he will monitor the situation and demand compliance with parliamentary functions to avoid harm to the processing of the proposals. "I will be attentive to this issue. Logically, I should be provoked, but, if I am following and seeing this, I will draw the attention of the Board of Directors and colleagues so that they fulfill their duties", he said. Manaus City Council (CMM) Robervaldo Rocha/CMM