The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) delivered a significant blow to a key political bargaining mechanism on Sunday, as Minister Flávio Dino ruled to annul parliamentary amendments indicated by non-elected party leaders. The ruling, which targets a practice known informally as "third-party amendments" or "leadership amendments," immediately strips non-mandated party bosses of their ability to control the allocation of billions of reais in public funds. To enforce the decision, Minister Dino ordered the heads of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate to communicate the ruling, warning of criminal accountability and a R$100,000 ($18,500) daily fine for parties that fail to confirm whether their leaders allocate such funds.