Bolsonaro parliamentarians say they prefer the minister of the (Tribunal de Constas da União) Bruno Dantas among those considered to take over the vacancy at the (Supreme Federal Court), opened with the announcement of the .
Privately, they state that Dantas has better dialogue with the opposition, even though he maintains good dialogue with the government. They also remember that he had a good relationship with () during his government and has contact with the business community.
Despite this, they consider that the TCU minister has less chance of being nominated, even if he has Renan Calheiros (MDB-AL) as his political godfather, than the minister of (Attorney General of the Union), and the senator and former president of the House, (-MG), also considered for Barroso’s vacancy.
The nomination is up to President Lula (PT), who will send the name of his chosen one for analysis and hearing by the senators.
Bolsonaristas consider Messias’s nomination to be the worst-case scenario. They see him as someone essentially aligned with the PT government and more ideological and disregard the fact that he is evangelical — something that was once considered a relevant differentiator, as when they defended it to the court.
Pacheco, with whom Bolsonaro had clashes during his administration, is seen as palatable or at least worse by supporters of the former president in Congress. Despite being close to Lula, Pacheco is a parliamentarian, has contact with his colleagues and is not flagrantly left-wing or ideological, they say.
The senator has the important support of his successor, Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), who, told colleagues that he will work to ensure that Pacheco has the highest number of votes in history, if he is nominated for the Supreme Court.
Even so, the former president of the Senate continues with a broad rejection of Bolsonarism and is likely to encounter resistance among the most radical representatives of this sector in the House.
They say that Alcolumbre does not have the credit to ask for votes among them, as he did not plan the bill that grants amnesty to those arrested and convicted in the January 8 coup attacks.
The more moderate opposition senators consider that Lula’s choice will be mainly between Pacheco and Messias and that the first option has greater viability among colleagues in the House.
If Lula chooses to nominate the senator, he could add another problem for the election to the Government of Minas Gerais, the second largest electoral college in the country, where there are plenty of right-wing names to compete for the position.
The parliamentarian has never hidden his desire to be a court minister, but he is Lula’s favorite to run for the Tiradentes Palace.
According to interlocutors, Pacheco has not yet decided whether he will run for office, but he knows that there is no plan B for Lula’s broad front in Minas and that the president needs a platform in the state to run for re-election. Recently, he stated that he will do whatever the PT member wants.
Both the name of the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira (PSD), and that of Mayor Marília Campos (PT), of Contagem (largest city administered by the PT in the country), are considered unviable against Bolsonaro supporters Cleitinho (Republicans) and Mateus Simões (Novo), deputy of governor Romeu Zema (Novo).
“I’m sure we’re going to win the state of Minas Gerais with Pacheco, he knows that. All he has to do is be willing to be a candidate. If he’s a candidate, he’ll be the future governor of Minas Gerais. I hope that, within a few days, we’ll have that definition,” Lula declared on Itatiaia radio in August.
Bolsonaristas see the electoral issue as indifferent, since they do not consider Pacheco a competitive candidate compared to the others. According to this assessment, he would only be able to lend a platform to the president in the state.
Barroso announced his retirement from the court on Thursday (9), at the end of the trial session. He left the Supreme Court after 12 years and 3 months wearing the toga. His retirement due to age would only arrive in 2033, but he decided to bring forward his departure after completing his period as president of the court.
Bolsonaristas considered the minister to be one of the most left-wing in the court. When he announced his departure, they took to social media to celebrate it.
“Bye, mané”, wrote deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) on social media, in reference to “lost, mané, don’t bother”, which the STF minister said to a
On the networks, the leader of the PL in the Chamber, Sóstenes Cavalcente (RJ), mocked the low probability of a woman being nominated for Barroso’s seat.
“Let’s wait for another appointment of the current disgraced president of the Republic to the STF; will he nominate a WOMAN? Or is the president a misogynist? When will we have another woman on the STF? When will we have another evangelical who is not left-wing on the STF?”
