Leader of NA, Pedro Lucas Fernandes (MA) says that to command the Ministry of Communications of the Lula Government (PT) was “the most sensible for the moment” in the face of the possibility that the bench of his party, with 59 deputies, entered into an internal war.
“I think it contributes more [para o governo] have this tranquility [nas votações] than I go to the ministry for vanity, “he said in an exclusive interview with Sheet.
“I was invited, but I couldn’t leave my bench at war, that it would not help the government.”
Pedro Lucas as a replacement of, after the party colleague leaves the ministry by being denounced by the PGR (Attorney General’s Office) by. But then he decided to stay in the House, which caused embarrassment by exposing the fragility of the government.
“I prefer not to believe that he [Lula] Be annoyed by it. I think he’s an experienced president, who knows what the relationships are like within Congress and knows what it is to be a plural party. The PT is a party with several currents, where there is internal dispute and no different from União Brasil, isn’t it? “He says.
What is the reason for you to refuse the invitation to the Ministry of Communications?
I am very honored to have been invited by President Lula. Regardless of which government, who here in the House of Representatives don’t want to be a minister? Even more in my state [Maranhão]being minister of a left government is worth a lot. But leadership is also a very important function in Congress. We went through a fusion process [do DEM e PSL] that had a lot of political instability. There was a very heavy fight from the former president of União Brasil [Luciano Bivar] with the president [Antonio] Rueda and we finally managed to pacify the leadership. When the news came that I could go to the ministry, it generated a lot of dispute and a lot of people on my bench asked me to stay.
To the point that you refuse the ministry?
There was no refusal. Yes, there was a lot of internal dialogue. What I said to President Lula [na reunião em que o convite foi feito] I would build internally. THE [presidente do ] Davi [Alcolumbre] put Juscelino’s name to leader [do partido na Câmara] And I went out with the mission to build. But there was a lot of difficulty, with others wanting to occupy the leader space. So the best, the wisest right now, was to continue in the lead. It was a very quiet decision.
The government did not understand it and saw the refusal as an embarrassment.
There is no noise of noise. President Lula is very mature [politicamente]. Or vice-president [Geraldo] Alckmin too. So much so that he has already stated that he understood our position before the bench. União Brasil has an important and plural bench, so building around converging guidelines is the most important for the government.
Is it more important to continue as a leader than to become minister?
I think it contributes more to this tranquility [nas votações] than I go to ministry for vanity. I want to build a better Brazil and a more convergent party with guidelines that can really develop public policies.
Did you speak to President Lula after the decision?
I will have the opportunity to talk to him, I think today we still talk.
They say in government that he was very angry because, at the meeting, you indicated that I accepted to be minister, but then refused.
I prefer not to believe that he is annoyed. I think he’s an experienced president, who knows what the relationships are like within Congress and knows what it is to be a plural party. The PT is a party with several currents, where there is internal dispute and no different from União Brasil, isn’t it?
But Minister Gleisi Hoffmann of SRI [Secretaria de Relações Institucionais]… Did she miss the name?
I don’t want to accuse Minister Gleisi. She has given demonstrations of great firmness at SRI. As former PT president, she dialogues with any party on behalf of the president. I don’t see it as a mistake, no. But maybe we should have done the previous exercise: first I build Juscelino’s name on the bench and then announce. I tried until the last moment, but there was a great dispute.
A deputy refusing to take over a ministry to continue in the House is very rare. Does this show that today being in the executive has lost prestige and Congress is very strong?
The policy is very dynamic. Each legislature changes the way of doing politics and dialogue a lot. Maybe I was the first one, but I won’t be the last, isn’t I?
But is it a weakening of the executive?
The relationship has to be transparent, as it was. I was invited, but could not leave my bench at war, that it would not help the government. I help much more calming my bench than going. It was no ingratitude. I made it clear that if I couldn’t, I wouldn’t be minister.
The government spoke in retaliation for embarrassment. Will the party lose space for the PSD?
I don’t believe. Of course, in some customs guidelines, you can not accompany, but in nominal terms, we deliver many votes, we are the third largest bench in the House. I see that the party can still contribute a lot, we will make important gestures, and the government will understand that. It is not because of the entry or departure of a minister who will affect the relationship.
The party has 59 deputies. How many really support the government?
Like the other center parties, we have about 20% that are against the government and about 20% that vote, but depends on what the agenda is. And more than half vote in favor.
More than 40 party deputies for the amnesty project. Doesn’t this show a dubious performance?
I personally did not sign, it is worth mentioning, because I understand that it is not an agenda that converges. The president [da Câmara] Hugo [Motta] It is the one who has the power to guide and it is the center parties that will give this solidity to decide.
The government said they would only have room for ministerial reform parties with Lula in 2026. When will the party decide on reelection or breakup?
Two thousand and twenty six has to be treated in 2026. We are supporting the agenda of Brazil today, and maybe we can support Lula. We are a center party, which dialogues with all the chains and we cannot close the door to anyone. We have the governor [Ronaldo] Caiado with his pre-candidacy, but we also have a president of Congress very aligned with Lula. THE [ex–presidente] Tancredo Neves has a saying: we have to cross the river, but why take off the shoe before? Take it off when you go through.
X -ray – Pedro Lucas Fernandes, 45
Federal deputy in the second term, is the leader of União Brasil in the House of Representatives. Son of former deputy and current mayor of Arame (MA) Pedro Fernandes, he was councilor in São Luís and president of the Metropolitan Executive Agency in the Flávio Dino government.
