LatinNews Daily - 02 July 2020 |
BRAZIL: Congress votes to postpone municipal elections |
On 1 July, Brazil’s federal chamber of deputies held two rounds of voting, in which it approved a constitutional amendment (PEC) for the postponement of the country’s municipal elections, previously due to be held in October this year. Analysis: The possibility of delaying this year’s municipal elections due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic had largely been rejected by Brazil’s political representatives in the early days of the pandemic. But as the local Covid-19 outbreak has relentlessly worsened, effectively paralysing campaigning, which would have been expected to (unofficially) begin in May, and raising concerns over the public health implications of holding country-wide elections in October, political and electoral authorities have come round to the necessity of delaying the elections, and succeeded in reaching a broad consensus to achieve this.
Looking Ahead: A PEC does not require presidential sanction, and congress is expected to promulgate the amendment today (2 July), after which the supreme electoral court (TSE) will update the electoral calendar. |