Open election in the Lower House
Organizations call for more transparency and participation in the choice of the next speaker
In the midst of the controversy surrounding the election of the next speaker of the Lower House of Congress, which will take place on Wednesday, July 13, 38 civil society organizations including Conectas proposed measures to make the election process more transparent and participatory for society.
In an open letter to members of Congress, the organizations said that an efficient way to encourage the emergence of new leaders among lawmakers would be to make the elections for the command of the Legislative more open, “giving visibility to the proposals, the vision and the party guidelines or the alliances between parties to which the candidates are associated”.
The measures suggested in the letter include open ballot voting and an initiative to release a document outlining the plans of each candidate for the position. The staging of a public debate between the candidates and public statements by each one on their commitments are also on the list of proposals.
According to the organizations, “the Legislature is, of the three branches, the best positioned to consider and discuss the demands and the innovative proposals coming from various sectors and social groups”. They said the speakers of the legislative houses can be a source of either stability or disorder in the political system and that the importance of these positions “justifies the greater care that lawmakers should take in the choice of candidates”.
- Click here to read the letter in full.
