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News > Brazil

Brazilian Parliament Approves the Privatization of Eletrobras

  • State-owned company Eletrobras, in the electricity sector, will be privatized after receiving the authorization of the National Congress.

    State-owned company Eletrobras, in the electricity sector, will be privatized after receiving the authorization of the National Congress. | Photo: Twitter/@lviscidi

Published 20 May 2021
Opinion

The Brazilian Parliament approved on Thursday the privatization of the Eletrobras state electricity company, which generates 30 percent of Brazil's energy, with 313 votes in favor and 166 against.

The vote took place after a long session of Congress which ended in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Alessandro Molon, from the Socialist Party of Brazil, criticized the measure, wondering, "Is it reasonable to sell the sixth most lucrative company in Brazil, decisive for energy sovereignty? Is is reasonable to vote on an important [matter] like this in just 23 hours?"

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If the project is approved in the Senate, this will be the first big privatization legislation executed by the government of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

The measure was sent to the Lower House by Bolsonaro himself on February 23 as part of his ambitious neoliberal economic agenda.

"We fought until the last minute! And we won't stop! You can take it out of the shorthand notes. It won't erase history! Last speech, at dawn, against the privatization of Eletrobras."

Former President and 2022 presidential candidate Luis Inacio Lula da Silva warned recently about the imminent privatization of Eletrobras, which puts at risk the South American country's energy sovereignty and security.

Da Silva denounced on Twitter that Bolsonaro will sell the company at the price "of a banana" and said that the deal constitutes 'just another crime against the Brazilian people and the future of our country," adding that privatizing Eletrobras means "delivering an invaluable legacy on a silver plate."

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