The appointment of the Union’s attorney general, , to the vacancy left by Luís Roberto Barroso in the (Federal Supreme Court) had a negative impact on the Lula government’s relationship with the . Doubts about approval put the current party in a campaign for the 41 votes needed for its approval.
The name Messiah was given with certainty and was made official on November 20th. The prerogative of the Executive, the appointment of Supreme Court ministers depends on the Legislature. The process includes a hearing before the CCJ (Constitution, Justice and Citizenship Commission) and approval in plenary by the majority of the 81 senators. The sessions should take place on December 10th.
The tremor in the relationship between Lula (PT) and the Senate —the main source of governability in this third term— is motivated by the preference that the president of the House, (-AP), and other senators had for the nomination of the senator (-MG). He was passed over by Lula, who is defending his candidacy for the government of Minas Gerais in 2026.
Within the STF, the name of Messiah was also not received unanimously by the ministers. Resistance from part of the court includes Flávio Dino, and , who also preferred Pacheco
The situation placed the AGU in , in addition to generating retaliation against the government with the approval of a bomb agenda shortly after the appointment. A member of the Baptist Church, Messias has the support of evangelical congressmen, but is not doing well among those close to Bolsonarism.
See who the senators and ministers are involved in the dispute over Messiah’s approval for the Supreme Court seat.
Davi Alcolumbre
The president of the Senate publicly campaigned for Pacheco, who is his predecessor in leadership of the legislative house. He also did not shy away from expressing his dissatisfaction with the name of Messiah. Two days before the official nomination, when asked about the possible choice of AGU, Alcolumbre replied: “We have to wait. What do we do?”
When the name was formalized, congressmen close to the Senate president said they had never seen the senator with “so much hatred” for Lula. Hours after it became official, Alcolumbre announced the vote on a bomb agenda. The text regulates special retirement for health agents, and the Ministry of Social Security projects a burden of R$25 billion over the next ten years.
In a nod, Messias publicly praised the senator in a note published on Monday (24). Lula’s nominee to the STF defined Alcolumbre as “an authentic leader of the , attentive to high decision-making processes, in favor of our country”. The response to the affection came through the press and in an ironic tone: “It started well,” said the president of the Senate, who is expected to meet with Lula in the coming days to discuss the nomination.
Weverton Rocha
The hearing for nominees to the STF is carried out by the CCJ, currently chaired by senator Otto Alencar (PSD-BA). Weverton Rocha (PDT-MA) was responsible for reporting on the Messias scrutiny process, who, like Alencar, is an ally of both Pacheco and Lula.
In an interview with the newspaper O Globo, the rapporteur said that “there is no resistance to the Messiah” and that he “fulfills all the requirements”. He also claimed to be a direct ally of the President of the Republic. “If it is indicated by him [Lula]is automatically supported by me”, he said.
Jaques Wagner
Government leader in the House, the PT senator from Bahia is considered the main coordinator of Messias’s nomination to the STF. The AGU headed the legal area of the PT’s office during the government of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), even before strengthening its ties with Lula.
Wagner’s relationship with Alcolumbre is also not going well. To allies, the president of the Senate informs that he has broken with the government leader, the main channel between Lula and the board of directors.
The party’s president and federal deputy Marcos Pereira (Republicanos-SP) publicly defended Messias’ nomination and stated that he meets the necessary criteria for the position at the STF. “I’m sure he will be a great minister, dignifying the court,” he said.
The support of the party of the governor of , , and the president of the Chamber, , was also confirmed by the leader of the party in the Senate, Mecias de Jesus (RR).
Also an evangelical, the senator declared his support as he saw Lula’s nominee as “someone who preserves important values for Brazilian society, such as the defense of the family and Christian principles, of which he shares as an evangelical.”
Evangelical split
The religious affiliation of the AGU is considered an important political asset among congressmen, but it divides evangelicals. Names linked to Bolsonarism have , deacon of the Baptist Church, for your approval.
Senator Jorge Seif (PL-SC), for example, stated that “the Christian faith does not serve as a shield for practices incompatible with the Gospel”, also citing what he called the political use of the AGU to justify his opposition to the name chosen by Lula.
The leader of the PL in the Chamber, Sóstenes Cavalcanti (RJ) also expressed his opposition to approval. “If it is approved by the Senate, it will be another 30 years of a PT leftist judging and delaying Brazil with his leftist values,” he said.
Messiah’s link with the evangelical world, however, has already earned him support within the Supreme Court itself. André Mendonça, who is a Presbyterian pastor, was the first minister of the court to publicly congratulate the AGU on the appointment.
Former AGU of Bolsonaro, Mendonça referred to Lula’s nominee as a “qualified name”, who meets the “constitutional requirements”. “You will have my full support in the Republican dialogue with the Senators,” he said. On Friday (21), the day after the announcement of Messiah, .
Flavio Dino
So far, Lula’s last nominee to the court is . The minister’s advisors said that he will only speak after the Senate has deliberated.
Despite the distance, the opposition to the current AGU in the House treats him as a “new Dino”. The reasons are the possible alignment of Messias with Lula’s interests and the fear about the way in which the issue of parliamentary amendments would be handled by him in court.
Alexandre de Moraes
Also a supporter of Pacheco, the rapporteur of the coup plot was considered an ally by Alcolumbre and by senators opposed to Messias’ nomination. The in court. According to Mônica Bergamo’s column, he and Messias spoke on the phone, and the expectation is that Moraes will give up on the agreement for Pacheco.
Gilmar Mendes
Like Dino and Moraes, the dean of the STF informed Lula at a dinner in October of his preference for Pacheco. The message to the President of the Republic at the meeting was that a “” would weaken the court. Having lost, Gilmar has spoken to parliamentarians, reassuring them about Messias and informing them that there is no legal reason to reject the nomination.
