The president (PT) unlocked his nominations to higher courts on Thursday (10), after nine months of impasse, in an initiative that sought to contemplate strategic allies.
In the case of the (Superior Court of Justice), the petista sewed alliance for the election of Alagoas and at the same time answered the Calheiros family and former mayor Arthur Lira (-al), who are opponents.
Already in the definition of the new members of the (Superior Electoral Court), the choice aimed to improve the relationship with the ministers and, (Supreme Court).
How it showed the Sheet On Tuesday (8), there is one with Lula decisions, such as previous nominations for courts and the judicialization of disputes with the legislature.
The president signed the nominations on Thursday night, with the publication of extra edition of the Federal Official Gazette.
For the STJ, Lula chose the Attorney of Alagoas Maria Marluce Caldas Bezerra. She is aunt of the mayor of Maceió, João Henrique Caldas, JHC, who is affiliated with and one of the main right leaders in the Northeast.
In return, JHC promised to the president that he will not run for or the government of Alagoas in 2026 and will complete his mandate in the city hall. The permanence disinctions the way to apply for the Senate.
The former mayor is income tax for those who earn up to $ 5,000 per month, one of Lula’s bets for reelection.
The government feared that if JHC hindered the Lira plans in the election, the deputy could make it difficult to approve the bill or disfigure it.
Last month, Lula received the deputy in the palace of Alvorada to inform about the preference for Marluce and heard an appeal to wait longer before the appointment, so that he could resolve the local policy.
JHC had a commitment to Lira that he would leave City Hall in April 2026 to run for government and give him a Senate dispute. The current governor, Paulo Dantas (), cannot compete in reelection, and the mayor is appointed as one of the strongest names for office.
However, JHC came to approach Lula to get his aunt’s appointment to the STJ. She had been on the Triple Public Prosecution Chair for nine months, along with prosecutors Sammy Barbosa Lopes – which was supported by the STF minister, – and Carlos Frederico Santos.
The negotiation also involved JHC’s support to the Minister of Transport, Renan Filho (MDB), to the government of Alagoas. The MDB wanted him to leave the City Hall to apply for the Senate with the Senator (MDB), who will compete for reelection. This would leave Lira without space.
In addition to Renan’s place, will be in dispute in JHC’s mother’s chair, Eudócia Caldas (PL), who took over as a senator in place of Rodrigo Cunha (Somos), now deputy mayor of Maceió.
Renan said to Sheet who did not deal with JHC from the mayor’s candidacy. “If he leaves the city, he will be my candidate for the Senate. There are two vacancies. We are not the ones who want to prevent his candidacy to the Senate,” said the emedebista, who is against an alliance with Lira.
To accommodate all sides, JHC promised Lula and Lira to give up any candidacy in 2026 in exchange for his aunt’s appointment, according to two people involved with the theme. The report came to him directly and through his advice, but he declined to comment.
Shortly after the nomination, Lira presented the opinion on the IR project and maintained the backbone of the proposal, with the exemption to the lowest income population and the minimum tax rate charges over $ 50,000 monthly. The text is expected to be approved by a special commission of the House next week and in the plenary in August.
There is, however, distrust between JHC opponents and allies about compliance with the agreement. They say the terms are not very clear and that the mayor has failed other commitments before.
In addition, they comment that his name remains strong for the government and that, after his aunt’s appointment, nothing would prevent him from changing the strategy until April and leave a candidate. In the PL, the speech is that the mayor will not support Lula or leave the party, but that he can really conclude the mandate by 2028.
For the petista, the approach with JHC is an important asset for the election campaign. Alagoas was the only state of the Northeast in which the former president (PL) won.
For the TSE, Lula indicated former Estela Aranha Digital Rights Secretary, with the support of Dino, and opted for the renewal of, ally of Moraes.
Estela and Floriano will have a seat in the TSE in the 2026 presidential election, when the court will be under the presidency of Kassio Nunes Marques and will have among its members André Mendonça, both nominated for the STF by Bolsonaro. The idea is that the names supported by Dino and Moraes reinforce a counterpoint to the duo.
In addition to integrating Dino’s team, Estela was nominated by him for the advisory of the President of the Court, when leaving the Ministry of Justice. According to reports, it was Minister Gilmar Mendes who suggested his name to Dino to the folder.
Her main competitor was the substitute minister Vera Lúcia Santana Araújo, who had the sympathy of first lady Rosângela Lula da Silva, the Janja, the Minister of Justice, and also the prerogative lawyers group, which is close to the government.
The succession process of the second vacancy, in which Lula opted for Floriano,
The crisis was opened from Cármen’s decision to ensure that one of the nominees was a woman. This made the minister, allied with Moraes on the TSE, to stop being reappointed for another term in court.
