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STEERING COMMITTEE ELECTIONSFederal Senate

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The election for the Steering Committee of the Federal

Senate takes place in the 1st legislative session of the

National Congress and in the 3rd legislative session. The

vote takes place after the end of the parliamentary

recess, which began on December 22nd, 2016 and ended

on February 1st, 2017.

The Steering Committee is responsible for directing the

legislative activities and is composed of the following

members:

President;

First and Second Vice-Presidents;

Four Secretaries; and

Four Deputy Secretaries.

THE ELECTION

According to the Constitution, the composition of the

committee must respect the proportionality of the parties

or parliamentary blocs with representation in the Upper

House

The senators’ vote is secret. To elect a Committee’s

member an absolute majority is necessary. Traditionally,

the party with the largest number of seats gets the

presidency of the Senate, however, sparse candidacies of

smaller parties are common.

STEERING COMMITTEE ELECTIONS

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2015 Election

At the time, PT and PMDB were still part of the

government coalition. The Steering Committee

election had a single ticket representing 7 of the

15 parties represented in the Senate - without

the participation of PSDB, DEM and PSB

The ticket was elected with 46 votes for, 2

against and 1 abstention.

President: Renan Calheiros (PMDB/AL)

1st Vice-president: Jorge Viana (PT/AC)

2nd Vice-president: Romero Jucá (PMDB/RR)

1st Secretary: Vicentinho Alves (PR/TO)

2nd Secretary: Zeze Perrela (PTB/MG)

3rd Secretary: Gladson Camelli (PP/AC)

4th Secretary: Ângela Portela (PT/RR)

1st Substitute: Sérgio Petecão (PSD/AC)

2nd Substitute: João Alberto Souza (PMDB/MA)

3rd Substitute: Elmano Férrer (PTB/PI)

4th Substitute: Vacant

STEERING COMMITTEE ELECTIONS

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2017 ElectionTwo senators disputed the presidency of the

Federal Senate in 2017: Eunício Oliveira

(PMDB/CE) and José Medeiros (PSD/MT).

Oliveira is the government party’s candidate,

also supported by the former president of the

Senate, Renan Calheiros. While Medeiros is vice-

leader of the government, he launched his

candidacy, even without the support of his own

party, as an alternative for the discontented with

the consensus around Oliveira’s candidacy.

With a total of 61 votes, Eunício obtained the

expected victory and confirmed his favoritism,

while José Medeiros (PSD/MT), the only other

competitor, received 10 votes.

President: Eunício Oliveira (PMDB/CE)

1st Vice-president: Cássio Cunha Lima (PSDB/PB)

2nd Vice-president: João Alberto Souza

(PMDB/MA)

1st Secretary: José Pimentel (PT/CE)

2nd Secretary: Gladson Cameli (PP/AC)

3rd Secretary: Antônio Carlos Valadares (PSB/SE)

4th Secretary: Zezé Perrella (PMDB/MG)

1st Substitute: Eduardo Amorim (PSDB/SE)

2nd Substitute: Sérgio Petecão (PSD/AC)

3rd Substitute: Davi Alcolumbre (DEM/AP)

4th Substitute: Cidinho Santos (PR/MT)

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Exercise the internal administration of the Senate;

Regulate the internal/legislative police;

Propose to the Senate a draft bill on its organization, functioning, police,

creation, transformation or extension of positions, usage and functions of its

services and a law initiative to adjust its internal remuneration;

Issue, mandatorily, an opinion on the propositions about the service and

personnel of the Senate’s Secretariat and on those that modify the statute;

Elaborate the final writing of propositions initiated at the Senate, as well as

amendments and draft bills from the House of Representatives approved by the

Plenary;

Assess proceeding requirements in concomitance with propositions that

regulate the same matter;

Providing clarifications to the Plenary about actions whose competence belong

solely to the Directing Board. Such actions shall be made orally by a rapporteur

or the First-Secretary.

COMPETENCES OF THE DIRECTING BOARD

Federal SenateSTEERING COMMITTEE ELECTIONS

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2nd Vice-President

Steering Committee of the Federal Senate (FS)

1st Secretary

2nd Secretary

3rd Secretary

4th Secretary

President

1st Vice-President

FS 2nd Vice-President

Steering Committee of the National Congress

HR 1st Secretary

FS 2nd Secretary

HR 3rd Secretary

FS 4th Secretary

FS President

HR 1st Vice-President

2nd Vice-President

Steering Committee of the House of Representatives (HR)

1st Secretary

2nd Secretary

3rd Secretary

4th Secretary

President

1st Vice-President

Federal SenateSTEERING COMMITTEE ELECTION

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PROFILE & RESPONSIBILITIES

Senator Eunício Oliveira (PMDB/CE)Eunício Oliveira holds a degree in Business Administration and Political Science, currently in his first term

as a Senator. Despite being a newcomer to the Senate, he has held prominent positions, such as the CCJ

presidency and PMDB leadership. He is considered the second richest senator of the house (with declared

equity of BRL 99 million) and, since 2005, holds the position of national treasurer of the PMDB

He was Minister of Communications during Lula’s government and elected three times as a Federal

Representative. In 2014, Eunício disputed the elections for the government of Ceará and was the most

voted candidate in the first round (reaching 46%), however he was defeated in the second round by PT’s

Camilo Santana.

Eunício has a firm stance on the topic of telecommunications, he has criticized on several occasions the

proposal to establish data limits for fixed and mobile broadband. The senator was also a strong supporter

of the main measures proposed by Temer’s government, stating that "it is unacceptable to delay reforms

such as the Social Security one, a modernization that will bring labor legislation to the 21st Century and the

regulation of outsourced contracts, increasingly common in a global job market, transformed by

computerization and automation, with the growing predominance of the service sector”.

The new president of the Senate was quoted in three plea bargains in the Lava Jato Operation: former

senator Delcídio do Amaral; The former director of Hypermarcas, Nelson Melo; And the former director of

Institutional Relations of Odebrecht, Cláudio Melo Filho.

President

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PresidentPROFILE & RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities of the President: Power of Agenda: Summon and preside legislative

sittings/Define the Order of the Day;

Contest propositions that do not abide by the

Constitution;

Propose the assembling of an external committee;

Steer sittings;

Solve questions of order;

3rd in the line of succession to the Presidency of the

Republic;

3rd President of the National Congress’ Steering

Committee. He is responsible for summoning

congressional sessions.

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1st Vice-PresidentPROFILE & RESPONSIBILITIES

Cássio Cunha Lima (PSDB/PB)

Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the State University of

Paraíba and was the mayor of the city of Campina Grande in 1988

and 1996. Between 2002 and 2009, Lima held the position of

governor of Paraíba, but ended up having his mandate revoked for

buying votes.

Mr. Lima was the drafter of the bill that increased from half to an

entire minimum wage the benefit paid by the Social Security and

also drafted the bill that provided for free-of-charge transportation

for individuals older than 65 years. He was the co-author of an

amendment that reduced to 16 the minimum age for voting.

Currently, he is part of the Committee on Human Rights and

Participative Legislation, the Mixed Committee on Control of

Intelligence Activities and others.

Responsibilities of the 1st

Vice-President Substitutes the president

João Alberto Souza (PMDB/MA)João Albertou de Souza, or João Souza, an economist that began his

career in 1971, when he was elected State Representative in the state

of Maranhão.

João Souza has held several elective positions in Maranhão, Ex-

President José Sarney is considered his political mentor. He was also a

Federal Representative, Vice Governor during Epitacio Cafeteira’s

term (1987-1990) , Mayor of the municipality of Bacabal and Governor

when Cafeteira was elected Senator. Souza was first elected to the

Senate in 1998 and in 2006 he was Vice Governor candidate in

Roseane Sarney’s campaign, in which they were defeated.

In 2010 he was elected Senator being the second most voted

candidate, behind Edison Lobão.

Senator João Souza was summoned by Gim Argello to testify in his

defense, considering that he also participated in the Petrobras

Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry presided over by then Senator

Argello.

João Souza was president of the Ethics Committee and considered one

of the betrayals of the government’s base during Dilma Rousseff’s

impeachment vote, to justify his vote, he claimed the political isolation

and the conjuncture of the country. 10

2nd Vice-presidentPROFILE & RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities of the 2nd

Vice-president Substitutes the Vice-President

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First SecretaryPROFILE & RESPONSIBILITIES

José Pimentel (PT/CE)A Lawyer and a banker, Pimentel is in his first term as

Senator. He was Minister of Social Security during Lula’s

administration (2008-2010) and federal Representative for

four consecutive terms, from 1995 to 2011. In 2007 he

served as rapporteur of the General Budget of the Union in

2008.

Pimentel was named government leader in the National

Congress by Dilma Rousseff in 2011, abandoning the

position after the opening of the impeachment process in

May 2016.

As a legislator, Senator Pimentel has already occupied the

position of leader of the National Congress Parliamentary

Front of the Micro and Small Business participating

actively in the approval of the Simples Nacional and in the

coordination for the approval and implementation of the

Entrepreneur System.

Responsibilities of the First Secretary To read in plenary the official correspondence

received by the Senate, the opinions of the

committees, the proposals presented when their

authors have not read them, and any other

documents that should appear in the session's file;

To sign the correspondence of the Federal Senate,

to sign, after the President, the minutes of the

secret sessions;

To determine the delivery to the Senators of the

electronic singularities related to the matter of the

Agenda of the Day;

Issue Senators' Identity Cards.

Gladson Cameli (PP/AC)Gladson de Lima Cameli is a civil engineer and entrepreneur in the

construction business. He is the son of Eládio Cameli, owner of the

construction company Etam, and nephew of Orleir Cameli former

governor of Acre murdered in 2013.

He began his political career at the PFL (Liberal Front Party), where

he remained from 2000 to 2003, when he joined the PPS (Popular

Socialist Party). In 2005 he joined the PP (Progressive Party), where

he is still a member. Cameli was a Federal Representative for two

terms. In 2010, he was elected Federal Senator by the State of Acre

with 58.4% of the valid votes.

Among the measures defended until now are: transitory assistance

in case of domestic violence against women, installation of

cameras in public schools, environmental amnesty for farmers and

reinforcement of the Federal Police at borders.

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2nd SecretaryPROFILE & RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities of the 2nd Secretary To draw up the minutes of the secret sessions,

to read them and to sign them after the First

Secretary

Antonio Carlos Valadares (PSB/SE)

A Chemist and a lawyer, Valadares is in his third term in the

Federal Senate. He started in political career in 1966, when he

was elected mayor of Simão Dias by ARENA (ruling party of

the military dictatorship).

Twice a state Representative and a federal Representative for

one term, Valadares was also Vice Governor of Sergipe

between 1983-1986 and Governor of the state for two terms

(1987-1994).

Since the end of the military regime, Valadares has been

affiliated with 4 other parties, having passed through the

PDS, PMDB, PP until arriving at the PSB. In 2016, he received

the award for the best congressman of Sergipe.

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3rd SecretaryPROFILE & RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities of the 3rd Secretary Count the votes in the verification of voting

Assist the President in determining the

elections

Zezé Perrella (PMDB/MG)

Zezé Perrella is a businessman and senator by the state of

Minas Gerais, in his first term. He was a federal representative

between 1999 and 2003 and a state representative between

2007 and 2011.

Perrella began his political career in the PFL, then migrating

to the PDT and PTB. On Feb. 1st, he joined the PMDB,

increasing the party’s contingent in the Senate.

Outside the political scene, Perrella was a three-term director

of the Cruzeiro Sport Club, having been investigated for

money laundering in the sale of a player. In 2013 he was the

protagonist of a major scandal when 455kg of cocaine base

paste were seized in his family’s helicopter. During the

investigations, both Perrella and his son were acquitted.

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4th SecretaryPROFILE & RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities of the 4th Secretary Count the votes in the verification of voting

Assist the President in determining the

elections

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Steering Committee 2015-2016

Steering Committee 2017-2018

Unlike what happened in the last election to the Steering Committee, this time Senators opted to respect the proportionality of the parties in the distribution.

PMDB increased its presence in the Steering Committee with the affiliation of Senator Zezé Perrella to the party, guaranteeing 3 positions occupied.

PT lost the 1st vice-presidency in exchange for the 1st secretary. The moderate performance of Jorge Viana (PT / AC) during the standoff between the STF and Renan Calheiros and the support of the Workers’ Party s to the candidacy of Eunício Oliveira was fundamental for the party to assure a position in the Committee.

The PSDB stand as a key ally of the government guaranteeing the 1st vice-presidency.

The PSB is now part of the Steering Committee, while the PR and the PTB lose their seats. The PP remains at the committee, this time as 2nd secretary.

STEERING COMMITTEE WITH ROOM FOR THE OPPOSITION

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1

1 PMDB

PT

PR

PTB

PP

3

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1

1 PMDB

PSDB

PT

PP

PSB

Steering Committee 2017-2018

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PARTIES COMPOSITION IN THE SENATE

SENATORS WHO CHANGED PARTY*

Eduardo Amorim, from Sergipe, changed from the PSC to the PSDB;

Elmano Ferrer, from Piauí, changed from the PTB to thePMDB;

Zezé Perrella, from Minas Gerais, changed from the PTB to the PMDB.

Lasier Martins, from Rio Grande do Sul, changed from the PDT to the PSD;

Thieres Pinto, from Roraima, changed from the PDT to thePTB.

* Different from the House of Representatives, where the mandate is from the party, Senators own their mandate and can change parties at any time.

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107

7

5

4

43

1

PMDB

PSDB

PT

PP

PSB

PSD

DEM

PR

PTB

PCdoB

PDT

PPS

PRB

PSC

PTC

PV

Rede

WithoutParty*

* Senator Reguffe (DF) continues without a party

SENATORS PER PARTY

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The new Senate president has been mentioned in three plea bargains in Operation Lava Jato and has already responded to some allegations of his company's illicit transactions with the government.

José Pimentel (1st Secretary) is being investigated in Operation Zelotes, while Gladson Cameli (2nd

Secretary) is investigated in Lava Jato.

Cássio Cunha Lima (1st vice-president) is investigated for tax crimes against. Zezé Perrella (4th Secretary) is accused of administrative impropriety by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Minas Gerais.

João Alberto Souza (2nd vice-president) was summoned to testify as a witness of former senator Gim Argello (PTB / DF), who was arrested in Operation Lava Jato.

UNDER LAVA JATO SPOTLIGHT

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Senator Eunício Oliveira is from the same political group as Renan Calheiros

(PMDB / AL), which would allow Calheiros to maintain some influence over

the Federal Senate.

Oliveira was the government's favorite candidate. His election guarantees

Palácio do Planalto an important ally to advance thecontroversial issues that

will be debated in the National Congress.

The involvement of members from the Steering Committee in Lava Jato's

corruption schemes may undermine the work of the upper House. The

election of members mentioned in the Operation may lead to further friction

between the Judiciary and the Legislature, and might cause once again a

paralysis in legislators’ works.

Now, party leaders must nominate the members who will make part of the

standing committees, as well as their presidents. The most prestigious senate

committees are: the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ) and the

Committee on Economic Affairs (CAE), both composed of 27 members.

EVALUATION & NEXT STEPS

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STEERING COMMITTEE ELECTIONSFederal Senate

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