Brazilian political parties may create lotteries and bingos to pay campaign

With the goal of private financing of companies for election campaign, politicians are resorting to the most varied forms of fundraising. Even gambling. In the ongoing political reform in the Chamber of Deputies it is expected that political parties will explore bingos, lotteries and other types of lotteries to raise funds for the campaigns of their candidates.

In a supplementary vote to his text, the rapporteur Vicente Cândido (PT-SP) included the initiative this week. The idea is to take advantage of a 1971 law, which authorizes "exclusively philanthropic" entities, such as churches, to explore bingos and other draws, "to fund social works," and to include political parties.

Candido confirmed to local media Gazeta do Povo the inclusion of political parties in this legislation. "There is a problem of campaign funding, and in that case lotteries and bingos will help. If entities and churches use it, why can not political parties join in?" said Candido.

The rapporteur said that the idea of using gaming to raise funds for campaigns was not his, but several presidents of parties. The president of the Sao Paulo PT, Luiz Marinho, a former trade unionist and former mayor of São Bernardo do Campo, was one of the authors of the proposal.

The article of the law, if approved the use of the gaming in electoral campaign, would read as follows: "No individual or legal entity may distribute or promise to distribute prizes through draws, gift certificates, contests, bingos or similar operations, otherwise and conditions set forth in this law, except when such operations originate in draws organized by political parties or institutions declared to be of public utility by virtue of law and that dedicate exclusively to philanthropic activities, in order to obtain additional resources necessary for the maintenance or costing of work in which they are engaged or, in the case of political parties, the cost of their party and electoral purposes. "

Deputy Chico Alencar (PSOL-RJ) criticized the initiative and his party will vote against this possibility. "This is the desperation, since they do not believe in a campaign with little financial resources, and then they seek all the means of financing. They do not think that the party fund would be enough to finance the campaigns. They are using any source for this fund raising, and without ethical criteria. They do not believe in a Franciscan campaign and debate of ideas," said Chico Alencar.

The forecast of the electoral reform indicates that a election campaign for deputy could cost up to US$ 790,000. "Adding my four campaigns to federal deputy and one to the state, I did not spend half of that," added Alencar.

Source: GMB / Gazeta do Povo