Brazilian Chamber Approves Land Demarcation Timeframe Law in A New Setback for Lula's Government

The text, approved in the Chamber of Deputies, determines that indigenous lands must be restricted to areas occupied or claimed until the enactment of the 1988 Constitution

Brasília

The Chamber of Deputies has approved, by 283 votes to 155, the Marco Temporal [Land Demarcation Timeframe] bill, in yet another defeat for the Lula government's environmental agenda.

30/05/2023 - The text determines that indigenous lands must be restricted to areas occupied or claimed until the enactment of the 1988 Constitution. Foto: Pablo Valadares/Câmara dos Deputados

The Marco Temporal thesis determines that indigenous lands must be restricted to areas occupied or claimed at the time of the promulgation of the 1988 Constitution. The Indigenous groups understand that the right to land should not be limited by any specific date.

The proposal became a priority for the FPA (Agricultural Parliamentary Front) after the victory in the report of the interim measure of the ministries, which emptied the cabinets of Environment and Indigenous Peoples.

The Executive advised against approving the text, "respecting the plurality". The PSB, Planalto's allied party, gave the carte blanche to its section in Congress, in a sign of fragility for the governmental base. The text now goes to the Senate for consideration.

Translated by Cassy Dias

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