The Congress and the 30 years of the Constitution: analysis of the political players in the constitutional amendment process between 2015 and 2018

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the interaction between the Legislative - especially the Chamber of Deputies - and the Constitution, focusing on the process of constitutional amendments during the 55th Legislature (2015-2018). By conducting an empirical analysis, which focused on categorizing all of the proposals of constitutional amendment submitted by the deputies, this article aims to identify which areas, themes or principles of the Constitution are most constantly subject to proposals for change, since the identification of these “sensitive areas” can help to better understand the Legislative's relationship with the Brazilian Constitution. As a result, the most relevant “sensitive areas” identified are those related to criminal law, to changes on the Judiciary, to changes to privilege police or military careers, and to changes in the distribution of resources among federal entities. After analyzing the data obtained, the article ended with an analysis of the role of the 55th legislature for the rise of the illiberal right after 2014, analyzing possible signs of the so-called “end of the shamed right” in the process of proposals of amendments to the Constitution.

Keywords:
Constitution; constitutional amendment proposal; Chamber of Deputies, illiberal right; political players