The Union’s attorney general, , has already started looking for leaders to schedule talks and reduce resistance to his nomination for the vacancy at the (Supreme Federal Court), made official on Thursday (21) by the president (PT).
A member of the Baptist Church and deacon of a congregation in Brasília, he has important support from the evangelical world, despite resistance from the wings most linked to Bolsonarism. But the biggest obstacle is the president of the Senate, (-AP) — who is not only against the nomination but has also told interlocutors that he will work against it.
Hours after his name was made official, Messias called leaders to schedule meetings for the next week, especially those who showed resistance to his appointment.
One of them was the leader of the MDB, Eduardo Braga (AM). “Nobody from the government approached me about this topic. The person who called me was Messias himself. I have a good relationship with him. He didn’t ask anything, he asked to speak in person. I’ll be in Brasília next week, he has to look for me.”
Braga, like Alcolumbre, preferred that Lula had nominated the former president of the Senate (-MG) for the vacancy. He avoided making predictions about scores or deadlines, but admitted that the situation for the club is not easy in the House. “The sea is not for fish”, he summarized.
Another leader said, privately, that without the support of Alcolumbre or Pacheco, Messias will not be able to reach the necessary 41 votes in the plenary. There is a complaint among senators about difficulties in communicating with the government, which was .
In addition to Messias himself, members of the government’s coordination had started making phone calls and seeking out senators for conversations, especially those from the opposition. They recognize the difficulty, but say it can be overcome.
A palace assistant acknowledged that Messias’s appointment was retaliation, but said that Antifaction, for example, had the appointment of a rapporteur who was not from the opposition, which was a relief for Planalto. Alessandro Vieira (Cidadania-SE) is considered balanced by government supporters.
Evangelical leaders in the states, especially those linked to the Assembly of God, also entered the circuit to ask for votes for their “brother”, as they call him in conversations with parliamentarians.
In the opinion of government supporters who work on behalf of the AGU in the House, this movement is especially important due to the proximity to the elections next year. The support of churches is considered vital for the parliamentary campaign.
Bishop Samuel Ferreira, for example, president of the Brás Assembly of God, published a photo on social media of when he was recently at Planalto with Lula and Messias and celebrated the nomination. “Lula, thank you very much. Messiah, God is with you. Congratulations, but the fight continues,” he wrote.
The president of e (SP) said that Messias meets the requirements required by the Constitution. “And I’m sure he will be a great minister, dignifying the court,” he stated. The party leader in the Senate, Mecias de Jesus (RR), was one of the first to declare support for the AGU, highlighting values such as the “defense of the family and Christian principles”.
Messias has also reached out to Senator Carlos Viana (Podemos-MG), president of the evangelical bench in the Senate, to ask for support for his nomination.
On another front, the STF minister, indicated by (PL) as “terribly evangelical”, congratulated the appointment and said that he will seek dialogue in the Senate for him. In 2021, he was approved after Alcolumbre made his appointment a tug of war with Planalto and held it for four months.
It is the prerogative of the President of the Senate to send the nomination for hearing at the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission), just as it is up to the President of the Republic to nominate whoever he wants. According to the press office, Alcolumbre said he “will analyze the next steps, within the prerogatives of the Federal Senate — each within their own prerogatives.”
When contacted, the president of the CCJ, Otto Alencar (PSD-BA), said there was no deadline yet for analysis and that, despite supporting Messias, it depends on Alcolumbre’s referral. “It’s time to vote within an acceptable time frame, including so that the nominee can visit offices. My part is regimented,” he said.
In the Panel column, Minister Gleisi Hoffmann (Institutional Relations) said she wants the Senate to analyze it further.
Initially, Alcolumbre told allies that he would leave Messias without a hearing until 2026, following what he did with Mendonça in 2021. But the assessment is that the strategy could now change, speeding up the procedures, not giving the nominee time to seek votes. Today, senators believe that he does not have the necessary support.
For a palace assistant, it would even be better for Messias if the hearing was held for next year, because it would give more time to defuse the situation with the senators.
In addition to the criticisms of the dialogue, there is also an important portion of the House that is blatantly opposed to the government and Messiah. It is not unanimous among evangelicals, especially among those who are more Bolsonarists.
said that “the Christian faith does not serve as a shield for practices incompatible with the Gospel.” The tone that Messias cannot be seen as a defender of the Bible because he is a PT member and a friend of Lula will be used by these parliamentarians who are critical of his actions.
“With the appointment of Jorge Messias to the STF, if he is approved by the Senate, it will be another 30 years of a PT leftist judging and delaying Brazil with his leftist values”, said the leader of the PL in the Chamber, Sóstenes Cavalcante (RJ).
