Marya Marcondes, Journalism student at UFPR
Under the guidance of Rogerio Galindo
Councilor Giorgia Prates (PT) filed a formal complaint with the Presiding Board of the Curitiba City Council requesting the opening of proceedings for breach of parliamentary decorum against Councilor Guilherme Kilter (Novo). The request is based on the Council’s Code of Ethics and Decorum and asks that the councilor’s conduct be formally reviewed.
The episode that prompted the action took place on March 9, at the Legislative Assembly of Paraná (Alep). On that date, Kilter went to Alep to attend a meeting of the Ethics Committee that would discuss complaints involving state representative Renato Freitas (PT). The session was canceled for lack of a quorum, but, according to the account sent to the Council, the councilor remained on the premises recording videos, walking through the corridors, and posting criticisms of deputies on social media.
The complaint also mentions a verbal spat with Renato Freitas and the exposure of state lawmakers in subsequent online content. Kilter’s conduct inside the Assembly prompted public reactions from deputies of different parties, who spoke of institutional embarrassment and questioned the behavior adopted within the premises of the state legislature.
In Giorgia Prates’s assessment, the case goes beyond political disagreements and sparks a debate about the limits of a mandate. For her, holding office requires responsibility in dealings with other institutions and, when there is suspicion of abuse, it falls to Parliament itself to activate the control mechanisms provided for in the Code of Ethics. The initiative has the support of other opposition councilors in Curitiba, who are backing the filing.
If the Presiding Board determines that the request meets the formal requirements, the case is forwarded to the Council’s Ethics Office, which is responsible for determining whether there was an ethical-disciplinary infraction. From there, the proceeding may be shelved or move forward, with the councilor’s right to a defense and a final opinion. Possible penalties range from a public censure to removal from office, depending on the classification and seriousness of the conduct.
Giorgia says she intends to closely monitor the internal proceedings. According to her, the expectation is that the Council will treat the case seriously and establish a standard for what it considers acceptable — or not — in the actions of its members with respect to other institutions and the use of the visibility of their office on social media.
