The president (PT) stated this Monday (13) that he wants a qualified person, not a friend, to fill the vacancy that will be opened by the (Supreme Federal Court).
On a trip to Italy, the PT member was asked about the profile of the person he will nominate to the court and which woman was also being considered for the post.
Lula responded that the criterion to be evaluated will be the ability to comply with the Constitution. “I want a person, I don’t know if it’s a woman or a man, I don’t know if it’s black or white, I want a person who is, above all, qualified to be a Supreme Court minister,” he said.
“I don’t want a friend. I want a minister of the Supreme Court who will have the specific task of complying with the Brazilian Constitution. That’s the quality I want. It’s the only one. It’s been like that with all the ministers I’ve appointed up until now and the ministers will continue to be like that.”
Lula participated in the Italian capital at the opening of the World Food Forum and a meeting on the Global Alliance to Combat Hunger and Poverty, at the headquarters of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). He returns to Brazil on Monday night and said that in the coming days he intends to talk to members of the government before making the decision.
Currently, the minister of (Attorney General of the Union) is considered the favorite for Barroso’s vacancy.
The assessment is based on his proximity to Lula. In the PT member’s two previous choices for the Supreme Court in the current term, ministers and , he prioritized intimacy and loyalty for the nomination — the first was his lawyer, and the second, his Minister of Justice.
If the president decides to meet the preferences of the political world, the senator (-MG) becomes the main candidate for the vacancy. His support is, and the STF ministers Gilmar Mendes and Alexandre de Moraes.
Bruno Dantas, minister of the TCU (Federal Audit Court), also has his name mentioned among those listed for Barroso’s vacancy, but is not among the favorites.
Barroso announced his retirement at the end of the plenary session on Thursday (9).
“I feel that now is the time to follow other paths. I don’t even have them well defined, but I have no attachment to power and I would like to live a little more of the life I have left without public exposure, the obligations and demands of the position”, he said, emotionally.
He held the position for 12 years and 3 months and will only turn 75 in 2033, when he would have to retire compulsorily.
Barroso defended the appointment of a minister to his post, on the grounds that women have lost space in the Supreme Court since Rosa Weber’s retirement. Currently, Cármen Lúcia is the only one at court.
The chances of appointing a minister by .
‘I didn’t even remember that name’, says Lula about Zambelli
At the press conference in Rome, before returning to Brazil, Lula said that he did not deal with the case of the congresswoman (-SP) during his visit to Italy.
Zambelli has been imprisoned since the end of July in the Rebibbia penitentiary complex, in Rome, and Brazil is asking Italy to extradite the congresswoman. She fled to the European country to escape the ten-year prison sentence ordered by the STF.
“I didn’t even remember that name. If you don’t ask me, I didn’t even know she was here or not,” Lula replied. “For me, he is a person who does not deserve respect from a democracy. He will pay for what he did, here or in Brazil. Therefore, it is a question of Justice, it is not a question of mine.”
Zambelli was accused of participating in the invasion of the CNJ (National Council of Justice) system to issue a false arrest warrant against Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF.
Last week, the Italian court rejected a new appeal from Zambelli’s defense for her to wait for the case to be processed under house arrest.
