“The PSL Is Liberal, Not Nationalist,” Says Joice Hasselmann, New Party Leader

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In her first interview as the new PSL leader in the Chamber, Deputy Joice Hasselmann (SP) said that the party, through which President Jair Bolsonaro was elected, will be independent when it comes to the issues “that could jeopardize Brazil”.

“Some of our deputies suffered attrition by voting for government policies that were not well regarded by the population, so now we have independence in relation to such policies,” she said. “It is liberal and not nationalist. This is the message that we are going to convey as of today,” he said.

Chamber President Rodrigo Maia decided on Tuesday, December 10th, that the 14 PSL deputies penalized by the party’s executive branch will no longer be eligible for internal congressional positions during the suspension announced by the party, which ranges from 3 to 12 months, depending on the deputy.

The decision determines, among other measures, the removal of these deputies from leadership and vice-leadership functions. As a result, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who is currently traveling abroad in Israel, has left his post. However, the punished deputies are still entitled to vote.

“The first step that we are going to take together is a step towards pacification and to show Brazilian society that we are going to do politics in a serious and mature way. The PSL is a rational right-wing, it is not a Shiite right-wing, it is not a radical right-wing,” said Joice.

According to the deputy, even with the punishment of the 14 members, the party does not lose political clout and she also stated that there will be no retaliation against the group.

Earlier, President Jair Bolsonaro told supporters, outside the Alvorada Palace, that the party he “left behind” is “teeming with backstabbers”. Bolsonaro recently walked out on the PSL, the party through which he was elected president, and is now trying to get Alliance for Brazil off the ground, as a conservative party with the Bolsonaro family in charge.

“The president has to tell who he is referring to. Deputies have given their lives for the President’s campaign, they believed, they fought for him when no one else did. When he didn’t even have a party legend, PSL opened its doors and laid out the red carpet,” Joice said of the presidential comment.

Constitution, Citizenship and Justice Committee (CCJ)

The presidency of the main committee in the Chamber, the Constitution, Citizenship, and Justice (CCJ) is entrusted to the PSL, by deputy Felipe Francischini who is part of the “Bivarist” (pro-Luciano Bivar, PSL national president) wing of the party.

At the start of the year, one of the agreements was for him to take turns alternating the position with the vice-president of the committee, deputy Bia Kicis of the “Bolsonarist” wing of the party, in 2020.

“There are several agreements that a number of different people have already mentioned in relation to the CCJ. First I need to understand who made these agreements and what they are,” he said.

“Bia Kicis has to decide whether or not to stay in the party because she is the only one who has the prerogative to leave the PSL. She can leave immediately without losing her mandate because she was elected by the PRP, a party that no longer exists,” he said.