Alcolumbre unlocks the process for the end of the 6x1 scale after meeting with Lula

The PT member received him this Friday morning (14), in yet another movement towards rapprochement between the two heads of power. They had already met on Wednesday (12), accompanied by allies in Congress, and the previous week, at the home of STF (Supreme Federal Court) minister Alexandre de Moraes.

Relations between the two had been strained since Jorge Messias' nomination for a seat on the Federal Supreme Court was blocked in the Senate plenary, handing Lula a defeat.

This Friday, Alcolumbre said he had sent to the commissions the PECs (Proposed Amendments to the Constitution) at the end of the 6x1 scale, which he said he would not debate before the election, and the security and critical minerals bill.

"These are highly complex matters that will follow the ordinary and regimental procedure in the Senate, with the necessary analysis and in-depth analysis", said Alcolumbre, in a note. According to the president of the Senate, the meeting with Lula was an important institutional conversation.

The three agendas are part of the set of proposals that the PT member promises to advance, in a possible fourth term.

The proposal to end the 6x1 scale was approved by the Chamber in May, but was stalled in the Senate. In recent weeks, Lula and PT reinforced the pressure for the proposal to move forward. A few days ago, the MDB in the Senate announced that it had supported the approval of the text and sent a request to the president of the Senate for the inclusion of the topic on the plenary agenda, as well as the PEC on security and the PL on critical minerals.

The government indicates that there is already an agreement with the president of the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission), Otto Alencar (PSD-BA), so that the PEC that deals with the working hours of formal workers can be discussed in the collegiate during the recess.

Because of the elections, Congress will only resume voting in the week from August 31st to September 4th, in a so-called concentrated effort.

The idea would be to leave the proposal ready to be voted on in the commission and in the plenary precisely during this period. To this end, the government arranges for Otto Alencar himself to be the rapporteur of the proposal. As president of the CCJ, he can call on the rapporteur.

The Public Security PEC, in turn, was approved by the Chamber in March. The proposal increases the Union's power over the area. Lula has conditioned the creation of the Ministry of Public Security, one of his promises in the 2022 presidential campaign, on the approval of the PEC.

The legal framework for the exploration of critical minerals and rare earths was approved in the Chamber in May, with the provision of tax incentives of R$5 billion, and had not yet been sent to committees in the Senate.

"When everyone said it wouldn't be possible, I always said it would be possible. And now we can move forward in all three", said the government leader in the Senate, Teresa Leitão (PT-PE). The proposal that reduces the ceiling on weekly working hours is considered the one with the most advanced debate in Congress.

Alcolumbre tries to pave the way for his re-election as president of the Senate. The mandate ends at the beginning of next year, and an alliance with Lula could reinforce the parliamentarian's candidacy if the PT member emerges victorious in the presidential election.

The Bolsonaro leadership wants to elect Tereza Cristina (PP-MS) as president of the Senate. In this sense, the end of the 6x1 is the agenda that could revive Lula and Alcolumbre's partnership.

The proposal, however, was still blocked until this Friday's meeting. According to reports, the PT member insisted that the senator submit the text to the plenary before the elections, but the parliamentarian resisted, arguing that his peers would not want to vote on it until then.

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