The president of , (-AP), told allies of the (Supreme Federal Court) in the plenary. Even if the government obtains the necessary support, it would have signaled that it would shorten the voting time to prevent the minimum necessary for Messias to take office.
Senators interviewed by the report believe that the 60 votes mentioned for Alcolumbre are an exaggeration, but that there is still a majority against Messias.
To two allies, Alcolumbre stated that the government will have to “bet a race” to see who will be the first 41 senators to register their vote in the plenary because voting will end shortly after the quorum is reached. The stance would be different from that seen in the approval of authorities last week, when he waited for more than 70 senators to vote before proclaiming the result.
The person nominated by the President of the Republic for the position of STF minister needs the favorable vote of 41 of the 81 senators to be approved, the absolute majority of the plenary. Any score below this will lead to the rejection of the name, something that, when five chosen by former president Floriano Peixoto were defeated.
In the case of the Attorney General of the Republic (PGR), Paulo Gonet, who also needed the support of 41 senators, approval took 16 minutes. The tight score, with just four votes more than necessary, . The Palácio do Planalto preferred to point out the absence of four government supporters to argue that the margin could be greater.
In the same session, the appointment of other authorities was also approved, and Alcolumbre asked the senators several times to remain in the plenary and vote. The concern was with the possibility of some rejection due to lack of votes. “Everyone has to stay. If anyone wants to travel, move it to tomorrow,” said Alcolumbre at the time.
In the case of the STF, Alcolumbre has refused to meet with Messias and scheduled the hearing at the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission) for December 10, with the vote on the same day, a deadline considered short by the government supporters because of the resistance of the senators — who, like Alcolumbre, preferred the nomination of senator Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG).
The president of the Senate has sought out his colleagues to argue that, although the president (PT) has the prerogative to nominate the minister, it is up to the senators to agree or not with the choice, and that it would be the Legislature’s chance to reaffirm this prerogative.
When contacted this Thursday (27), the president of the Senate did not comment.
Government allies say that Lula should look for Alcolumbre and that there are open spaces for negotiation with the Senate, such as the presidency of Cade (Administrative Council for Economic Defense) — which has been occupied on an interim basis since July — and the presidency of ANA (National Water Agency), with a mandate expiring on January 15.
At the CVM (Securities Commission), in addition to the vacancy of president, there is a board of directors that has been vacant since December and another that will be released at the end of this year. The Ministry of Finance, however, tries to prevent these positions from entering into political negotiations and seeks to fill them with technical names, as do two directorates of the Central Bank.
The position of STF minister, however, would be non-negotiable, because giving up this choice would mean the President of the Republic giving up his own prerogatives — a path of no return, in the opinion of government officials.
Messias has been reaching out to senators by phone and in person to try to overcome resistance and seek support for his nomination. In most conversations, he hears that his situation is delicate because of disagreements between the government and Alcolumbre.
Lula had the Senate as his main source of governance throughout his current term. Messias’ nomination for the vacancy on the STF, however, .
Lula’s nominee has said in meetings that there is a crisis between Alcolumbre and the federal government. He also states, behind the scenes, that he used to have a good relationship with the president of the Senate when he was an advisor to the House — he worked in the office of senator Jaques Wagner (PT-BA), leader of the government and with whom Alcolumbre broke up.
Messias makes moves to try to get closer to the president of the Senate. On Monday (24), it released a public note with . The repercussions in the Senate. Alcolumbre responded to the text with a .
Government officials talk behind the scenes about resorting to one and are counting on the president of the CCJ, Otto Alencar (PSD-BA), to buy more time.
