1. Background:
- Glauber Braga (PSOL-RJ) faces revocation (cassação) of his mandate due to an incident in April 2024, where he physically assaulted Gabriel Costenaro, a member of the far-right Movimento Brasil Livre (MBL), inside the Chamber of Deputies. The altercation, caught on video, involved pushing and kicking .
- Braga claims he acted in self-defense after Costenaro repeatedly insulted his mother, who was suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s disease and passed away weeks later .
2. Ethics Council Decision:
- The Chamber’s Ethics Council ruled in favor of revoking Braga’s mandate, citing a breach of parliamentary decorum .
3. CCJ Vote (April 29, 2025):
- The Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) rejected Braga’s appeal (44 votes to 22), allowing the case to proceed to a full Chamber vote .
- The CCJ’s role was limited to assessing procedural legality, not the merits of the case. Relator Alex Manente (Cidadania-SP) emphasized that the final decision rests with the plenary .
4. Political Context:
- Braga alleges political persecution, linking the case to his criticism of former House Speaker Arthur Lira (PP-AL) and the "secret budget" (orçamento secreto), a controversial budgetary mechanism later suspended by the Supreme Court .
- Supporters argue the penalty (revocation) is disproportionate, noting past cases of physical altercations resulted only in written censure .
5. Next Steps:
- The plenary vote will occur after a 60-day period (starting April 29), as agreed with House Speaker Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB) .
- Revocation requires 257 votes (absolute majority). Absentees benefit Braga by reducing the threshold .