The federal Senate has appealed the Federal Supreme Court (STF) decision that established free public transport on election days, starting with this year’s elections. The appeal signed last Friday, the 9th, asks that public policies be discussed by parliamentarians and not imposed by the judiciary. If free is maintained, Casa Alta claims that the benefit will be paid by the Electoral Tribunal, therefore at no cost to States and Municipalities.
For the Senate, the decision did not take into account important elements for free services to become a reality. In the STF resolution, for example, it is not clear what the dialogue between Municipalities and transport concessionaires will be like. “Without a clear source of financing, such a decision could lead to cuts in other essential sectors or an increase in public debt, impacting the entity’s future solvency and its ability to invest in priority sectors.”
“As can be seen, free public transport policies cause a significant shock to municipal finances and can lead to explosive increases in fares paid by passengers [ ]. The exemption to apply automatically in 2024 will cause an economic and financial imbalance in contracts between federal agencies and transport companies,” reads another excerpt.
The appeal was signed by the coordinator of the Center for Technical Consultancy and Studies, Gabrielle Tatith Pereira, by the Deputy Attorney General for Litigation, Fernando Cesar Cunha, and by the Attorney General of the Senate, Thomaz Gomma de Azevedo.
In October last year the STF plenary assembly unanimously decided that public transport would be free on election days. Furthermore, the Court decided that the entire fleet should be made available.
In speaking out on the issue, the president of the STF, Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, said that the tariff causes “a great electoral exclusion” in the country and prevents the poorest people from exercising their right to vote. He also said it is unconstitutional for states and municipalities to refuse to provide free transportation.
Source: Terra

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