Congress cuts 'special positions' to curb irregularities

The Chamber of Deputies - Lower House of the Brazilian Congress - decided to extinguish 1,163 Special Nature Positions (CNEs, its acronym in Portuguese) to try to curb irregularities which were revealed earlier this year by the Brazilian media. According to the Correio Braziliense newspaper, many of the positions were occupied by relatives of the politicians and sometimes certain employees earned up to R$ 8,000 a month (close to US$ 3,700) without even showing up for work. The decision will save the House approximately R$ 47 million a year (US$ 21.6 million). People employed in these positions generally are named to the posts by their political allies, and don't have to undergo a public examination, which is normally the case of other public employees in the country.