A proposal to change how Brazil elects members of the Chamber of Deputies is dividing lawmakers and putting at risk an agreement brokered by House Speaker Hugo Motta. The plan would introduce a mixed-member district system from 2034, but some lawmakers are pushing for different models, while opposition parties say they will vote against electoral changes.

Under the proposed system, half of the seats would go to candidates elected in defined districts. Voters would also cast ballots that count toward the allocation of the remaining seats among parties, based on pre-established lists. The reform would affect elections to the Chamber, but not contests for the Senate, municipal offices, state governments or the presidency.

The agreement announced by party leaders has not secured support from all lawmakers in their parties. Some are backing the “distritão,” under which the most-voted candidates in each state would win seats regardless of their parties’ combined vote. Podemos and Solidariedade, meanwhile, have expressed a preference for a “mixed distritão,” combining statewide voting with party lists.

The current open-list proportional system allocates seats to parties based on the combined vote for their candidates. The candidates with the most votes then fill those seats, provided they meet a minimum vote threshold. The system has helped the Liberal Party (PL) expand its representation: the source reports that Nikolas Ferreira and Lucas Pavanato each won more than three million votes, helping elect other party colleagues.

Supporters of the mixed-member district proposal argue that it would curb the influence of highly popular candidates who bring other party members into the legislature. But some lawmakers, particularly from smaller parties and the so-called lower clergy, fear that district-based contests would benefit well-known local figures, including popular mayors, and weaken their chances of re-election. Representatives of professional groups and candidates focused on specific issues also worry that they may struggle to build support within a single district.

Podemos lawmaker Igor Timo is seeking support for the distritão, saying that candidates with strong individual support should not be able to elect colleagues with far fewer votes. Critics of that model, including political scientists and party leaders, argue that it could weaken parties and make coalition-building harder. Timo counters that party leadership would retain influence through decisions on campaign funding, broadcast advertising and candidate selection.

The opposition has also rejected the proposed changes. PL lawmaker Cabo Gilberto said PL and Novo members had decided to vote against reform; together, the opposition currently has 103 seats, a number expected to rise to 131 from February, according to the report. Within the PT and PCdoB federation, which has 80 deputies, there is also no settled position. Some members are open to a mixed system, while others oppose district voting. PT deputy Lindbergh Farias warned that territorial districts could pose a problem amid the growing political participation of criminal factions and militias.

Motta’s approach is to delay implementation until 2034, in an effort to ease lawmakers’ concerns about their own seats. The change would be made through a constitutional amendment, requiring support from 308 of the 513 deputies and 49 of the 81 senators. The parties have not agreed on a transition system for the 2030 election. Republicanos has suggested limiting the ability of candidates who exceed the electoral quotient to help elect other candidates, while Podemos has proposed its mixed distritão, with half the seats awarded to the most-voted candidates statewide and the rest filled from party lists.

Project rapporteur Domingos Neto said the parties had agreed on the mixed-member district system for 2034, but not on the transition model. He said the system would bring voters closer to their representatives and make it easier to hold them accountable.

Sources: Folha Poder.