The process of choosing the new minister of the (Supreme Federal Court), from the vacancy opened with the retirement of , took on unprecedented contours in , responsible for examining and deliberating on the name indicated by the President of the Republic.
Contrary to the latest indications from the president (PT), when discussions in the House were restricted between giving approval or not, the Legislature now supports its own name, that of the senator (PSD-MG).
Lula has not yet announced his choice, but he intends to nominate the Union’s attorney general, .
In the Senate, part of the opposition sees Messias as and does not intend to vote for his approval. Another portion, linked to centrão acronyms, such as PP and União Brasil, is willing to insist on Pacheco’s name even if they do not reject Messias. The group is trying to garner support from those who would prefer the senator from Minas Gerais, but would endorse any decision by the PT president.
The arguments of pro-Pacheco senators are that he knows politics and, as minister of the STF, can be a bridge with the Legislature to reduce tension between the Powers. They also understand that this is recognition of his performance in dramatic periods in the country, such as the . Pacheco also commanded during the , and allies remember his pro-vaccine stance in front of a then president, (PL), who was speaking against the .
“He has credit with the senators for what he represented on January 8, including the political sacrifice in Minas, because at that time there was a pro-Bolsonaro force”, said senator Otto Alencar (PSD-BA), president of the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission), the collegiate responsible for the hearing of the nominee for the STF before the plenary screening, via secret vote.
“Everyone would like it to be him [Pacheco]. There is a ‘want’ in the Senate for Pacheco. But, if the president sends Bruno Dantas [presidente do ] or Jorge Messias, of course I, as a senator from the base, will work for him. It’s not that I’m going to go out asking for a vote, but I’m going to set the regular pace at the CCJ, as scheduled”, said Otto.
The leader of , Efraim Filho (PB), states a similar view about Pacheco and adds that Lula has already nominated two names and the vacancy opened by Barroso would be an “outside the curve”.
“The majority feeling in the Senate is to vote in favor of Pacheco, which would be better given the tension between Powers. And he acted for vaccines, for the legitimacy of the elections. He is not against Messias. He is in favor of Pacheco”, defended Efraim.
Under reservation, a member said he saw a risk of the Messiah’s name being rejected in the vote, which would be something unprecedented in the history of the House.
The president of the Senate, (União Brasil-AP), had this to say at the beginning of the week, just before the PT member’s trip to Asia. But allies say that, in addition to making clear his support for Pacheco, he would have warned the president about a possible defeat in the House in the case of Messias’ nomination.
PT senators prefer not to make diagnoses of this type, they consider that the attorney general is a good name, as are Pacheco and Bruno Dantas, and they repeat that Lula’s decision must be respected. “It’s the president’s prerogative. I think Lula is convinced [por Messias]”, said (PT-BA), leader of the government in the Senate.
Lula has also declared that he sees Pacheco as the best name for the Government of , an important platform for the PT member in 2026.
Among members of the most fierce opposition to Lula, the name of Messiah is rejected. On condition of anonymity, a member of the group states that the role of the Union’s attorney general is that of an activist and that no one wants another Dino in the STF.
Another opposition senator also makes the comparison. “He [Messias] has a censorship footprint very similar to that of Dino”, said senator Eduardo Girão (-CE), who is among those who openly declare a vote against the Union’s attorney general.
“I respect the person of Messiah, but my feeling is that we have to put an end to personalism within the STF. We already have a supporter of Lula, Dino, who was his minister; Lula’s personal lawyer, who is Zanin”, he stated.
On the other hand, Messias has the vote of the leader of the Senate, Mecias de Jesus (RR). Both are, but Mecias states that his vote will be given according to the criteria of “legal capacity, knowledge”.
He also said that he does not believe that there will be any difficulty for Messiah to receive the approval of the House. “But logically, the candidate that the Senate would vote for without needing any type of conversation is Pacheco. I have no doubt that he would reach unanimity,” he added.
