Minas Gerais Assembly Approves First Vote to Drop Referendum on Copasa Sale

Overview

• The ALMG passed PEC 24/23 in first turn by 52–18 after an overnight session that ran from Thursday evening to early Friday.
• The amendment waives a popular referendum to authorize privatization or federalization of Copasa solely to pay the state’s debt to the Union under Propag.
• The text, narrowed during negotiations, no longer covers Cemig or other utilities and now focuses on Copasa.
• The proposal returns to a special committee for a second-turn opinion before a required final plenary vote.
• Opposition lawmakers decry risks to service quality and to service in vulnerable regions and criticize the late-night vote as opportunistic.