The plebiscite on the division of the state of the For was a public consultation held on December 11, 2011 to Pará population referring to the territorial division of that federative unit into three different territories: Pará itself and the new states Carajás and Tapajós, as illustrated in the map above. At the time, the majority of the population rejected the proposal and said no to the creation of both states.
First, it is necessary to understand the difference between a plebiscite and a referendum. O plebiscite consult the population before approval or consideration of a given law by the National Congress, Senate and Presidency of the Republic. already the referendum it consults the population after approval by the National Congress, in which the electorate only endorses or not something that has already been debated within the scope of parliamentary policy.
In the case of the division of the State of Pará, there was, therefore, a prior consultation with the population and, as the proposal was rejected, it did not was forwarded, as the tendency, in these cases, is for the government to accept the popular decision, although it may establish vetoes and changes.
The plebiscite covered two questions: one about the creation or not of the state of Carajás and the other about the state of Tapajós. If only one of the two divisions had been approved, the Legislative Assembly of Pará would have to prepare an opinion on the matter to be later voted on by Congress.
The result of the plebiscite on the division of the state of Pará was then given the following numbers:
"Are you in favor of dividing the state of Pará to create the state of Carajás?"
Yes: 33.40% of valid votes – 1,185,546 votes
No: 66.60% of valid votes – 2,363,561 votes
"Are you in favor of dividing the state of Pará to create the state of Tapajós?"
Yes: 33.92% of valid votes – 1,203,574 votes
No: 66.08% of valid votes - 2,344,654 votes
Although the proposal to create the two new states in Pará was rejected by the population, the debates did not end there. There are new proposals by politicians, intellectuals and the general population that would involve the same division previously proposed and other proposals as well. One of them would divide the state in half into two new federative units, but there is no consensus on this issue.
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You defenders of the division of the state of Pará usually resort to other state divisions carried out in the country, with emphasis on the state of Goiás, whose north was spun off for the creation of the state of Tocantins in 1988, which generated more investments and a relative improvement in the lives of the local conditions. Furthermore, the pro-division arguments allege that the state is too large and that it would need to be divided for better administration. public, with a greater transfer of federal funds to the poorest areas of the territory of Pará, represented by the new States.
You critics of the division of the state of Pará, on the other hand, argue that the division would only favor politicians from the new regions due to the creation of new positions, but there would be no compensation in terms of benefits for the population. Another point would be the decrease in the wealth of the state of Pará, which would see its territorial area gradually reduced, but still with the greater part of the population and public spending. Investments, from this point of view, would be insufficient given the necessary demands.
Regardless of who is "right" or "wrong" in this debate (although it is problematic to think that way), what what matters is that the different areas of the state of Pará are able to develop with or without territorial division. In addition, it is necessary to guarantee the preservation of natural resources and indigenous areas, the sustainable use of resources, the income distribution and the end of land conflicts, a recurrent problem in this and other areas of the territory Brazilian.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PENA, Rodolfo F. Alves. "The plebiscite on the division of the state of Pará"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/brasil/divisao-estado-para.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
