Brazil - 8 July 2003

The ruling workers' party (PT) has suspended rebel leftwing senator Heloí­sa Helena (PT, Alagoas), from its group in the upper chamber for criticising the government's plans for social security reform and promising to vote against them. The move is a first step towards expulsion from the party, which looks likely as the firebrand senator is still refusing to back down and toe the line. Heloí­sa's fate appeared sealed as we went to print, while other petistas who oppose the government's plans, such as congressman João Batista de Araújo (PT, Pará), are also under threat for the same reason. 

The government appears to have dropped plans to create a new party to hold dissident members from the opposition, as well as from within its own ranks. The head of the civilian household and PT power broker José Dirceu had been championing the plan, but it was shelved after he held discussions with the leaders of the parties allied with the PT in government. 

The new party would have been born accompanied by a change in the legislation covering political parties, which would mean that people switching parties would be able to take with them to their new organisation some of the free TV minutes available to their former party at election time. 

The PT's allies, such as the conservative PTB and the former communist party PPS saw through the plan, regarding it as little more than a ruse to help communications minister Miro Teixeira. The minister belongs to the democratic labour party (PDT) led by veteran leftist Leonel Brizola, but while he opted his cabinet post with a view to influencing policy, Brizola and the rest of the PDT are staunchly anti-government, and so the threat of expulsion has hung over his head virtually since he took office. 

Were he able to switch to a new party, Teixeira could even take some air time for electoral purposes.