O must approve the decision after a hearing this Wednesday (12), but with a tighter score than that of, when he arrived at the command of the (Attorney General’s Office).
If there is no surprise, Gonet will remain in office until 2027. Members of the Senate have considered the vote a parameter to measure the possibility of approving the name of the Union’s attorney general, Jorge Messias, who should be nominated by President Lula (PT) to the STF (Supreme Federal Court.
In 2023, the current head of the Union had 65 votes in his favor in the Senate plenary and 11 against. The support of at least 41 senators is required for approval. The elastic result that year was obtained because even sectors of the opposition, at the time with the support of the former president (), voted in favor.
The mood of the Bolsonarist wing towards the attorney general, however, changed. It should be approved, but will have less support than in 2023, say members of the group.
“The opposition will oppose. But there are only 32 of us out of 81”, stated PL leader, Carlos Portinho (RJ). The minority leader, senator (-PI), told Sheet think that Gonet will be approved without any setbacks.
Bolsonaro’s discontent is mainly due to the protests against Bolsonaro in , in which the former president was . Lula signed Gonet’s reappointment shortly before he made his statement at the trial. The president’s aides said that bringing forward the reappointment gave more strength and legitimacy to the PGR at a time of high political-institutional pressure.
Another factor cited to explain the greatest dissatisfaction with Gonet is , former advisor to the minister of the (Supreme Federal Court).
Tagliaferro, who assisted the minister when he was president of the TSE (Superior Electoral Court), became a well-known name in Bolsonaro circles for exposing messages related to Moraes.
Gonet’s alignment with the majority of the Supreme Court in the coup plot process was already expected both in the Judiciary and in politics. He was appointed by the president (PT) to the PGR in 2023 with .
The prosecutor was selected by Lula in 2023 from outside the triple list chosen by the ANPR (National Association of Public Prosecutors), as had happened with his predecessor, Augusto Aras, appointed on two occasions by Bolsonaro.
Gonet was deputy electoral attorney general during the Aras administration, but he is not seen as a name aligned with the former PGR within the Public Ministry and is more accepted internally than his predecessor.
The head of the PGR also has the sympathy of the president of the Senate, (União-AP).
Known for his discretion, Gonet did not openly campaign for his reappointment among senators in recent days. The most common thing is for authorities to ask for support from members of the Senate before this type of vote, by visiting parliamentarians’ offices.
This Wednesday, Gonet participated in a session in the First Panel of the Supreme Court, in which he asked for the conviction of the defendants who were part of the military core of the coup plot after Bolsonaro’s defeat to Lula in 2022.
The Attorney General of the Republic will be questioned this Wednesday by the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Committee) of the Senate, in a meeting scheduled for 9 am. The board will vote on whether or not to recommend the approval of the name to the plenary in a vote to be held also on Wednesday, but in the afternoon.
Members of the opposition who signaled a vote in favor of Gonet point out that there would be no point in rejecting him in plenary, since the name that would replace him in this situation would also be indicated by Lula.
Forceful speeches are expected from the most fierce sectors of Bolsonarism. The prospect of approval, however, should reduce the tone of the speeches of senators who are critical of the attorney general’s work, to avoid discomfort with whoever will command the PGR for the next two years.
Also scheduled for this Wednesday are hearings for Anísio David de Oliveira Jr. and Flávio Marcus Lancia Barbosa, nominated for the STM (Superior Military Court), in addition to those of four diplomats nominated to command Brazilian embassies abroad.
Alcolumbre confirmed on Tuesday (11) the vote in the plenary session shortly after the hearing for both Gonet and other nominees. “We have confirmed the confirmation of around 74 male and female senators [que participarão das deliberações]. It is an adequate number so that we can deliberate with the authorities tomorrow [quarta]”, declared the president of the Senate.
