This is a translation of the original article in Portuguese. Read the original (Português).
A bill granting amnesty to former president Jair Bolsonaro has opened a rift within the Workers’ Party (PT), according to the Brazilian newspaper Correio da Manhã. The idea was attributed to the party’s national president, Edinho Silva, and the internal reaction could lead to a change in the party’s leadership.
According to the newspaper, Edinho was already under pressure before the proposal emerged. Linking the bill to him increased the wear and tear on him and strengthened those who want changes in the leadership.
The main voice against it so far is that of Gleisi Hoffmann, who criticized the proposal. Gleisi is one of the best-known figures in the party and has already headed it, which gives weight to her position in the internal debate.
At the same time, a movement inside the PT to bring forward the election that defines the party’s leadership has gained ground. If the vote is moved up, the current leadership could be replaced before the scheduled deadline. There is no date yet for the early election, and the party’s bodies are expected to detail whether and how it will take place.
The debate draws attention because it involves the party of President Lula and an issue that, until now, had united the party: rejection of any pardon for Bolsonaro. A proposal of this kind coming from the party’s own leadership contradicts the position the PT had been defending.
The crisis also has effects beyond the PT. The party is the backbone of the government’s articulation in Congress, and an open dispute over its leadership could make negotiations with other parties more difficult. In addition, the party leadership plays a central role in forming alliances and in the strategy for the next elections.
For the government, a change at the head of the PT could mean new interlocutors and priorities in the relationship with Congress. For voters, the episode shows that the party still has no single position on how to treat the former president and his allies.
Edinho Silva has not yet publicly commented on the attribution of the bill, and the party has not said when its leadership will meet to discuss the issue.
Reporting from Correio da Manhã (Correio da Manhã SP, p. 14 (nacional)).
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