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| - Brazil's Congress passed a bill Monday paving the way to privatize the biggest electric utility in Latin America, state-controlled company Eletrobras, a victory for far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's privatization agenda. The bill, which sets up a share issue that will dilute the government's stake in the company, passed the lower house by a vote of 258 to 136. Lawmakers must still vote on a series of amendments before sending it to Bolsonaro. It had already passed in the Senate. The legislation will reduce the government's stake in Eletrobras from 51.82 to 45 percent, via a share issue penciled in for early next year that the state estimates will raise 25 billion reais (around $5 billion). The government will, however, retain a "golden share" in the company giving it the final say on strategic matters. Created in 1962, Eletrobras is one of Brazil's "big four" state-controlled firms, along with oil company Petrobras and banks Banco do Brasil and Caixa Economica Federal. Bolsonaro's ultra-liberal economy minister, Paulo Guedes, has said the privatization will save Brazilians up to 7.4 percent on electricity. js/jhb/st
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