The resistance of the president of the National Congress, Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP)to the appointment of Jorge Messias, current attorney general of the Union, to the STF (Supreme Federal Court), is a reflection of a broader dispute for political power in Brazil, according to an assessment by political scientist Leonardo Barreto, partner at the Think Policy consultancy. He points out that the Alcolumbre posture cannot be seen just as an isolated movementbut as part of a more complex institutional scenario.
For Barreto, the . “The Senate feels betrayed, given that it was counting on the nomination of one of its members as a reward after largely blocking Bolsonarism in the previous administration and defending the government’s interests in this term against a conservative and skittish Chamber”, explains the political scientist.
According to the political scientist, the absence of a nomination that would reward this loyalty frustrated Alcolumbre’s plans for the Supreme Court.
Furthermore, Barreto highlights that there is concern in Congress about the growing influence of STF on structural political issues. “Parliamentarians fear that the STF, with its current composition, could weaken the prerogatives of the Legislature and make decisions that directly impact budget control and political investigations in the country”, he states.
Another important factor pointed out by the Think Policy consultancy partner is the political value of the nomination to the STF. “Nothing that the government can offer, whether in terms of roles and positions, has equivalent value to an appointment as a STF minister”, he analyzes.
The political scientist also highlights that the relationship between the Executive and Congress, especially under the Lula administrationhas been marked by constant attacks from the government on parliamentarians.
“There is widespread dissatisfaction among parliamentarians against the government’s repeated campaigns of attacks against Congress, characterizing them as ‘enemies of the people’, which occur disguised as organic movements on social media”, he highlights.
Barreto also notes that, at a time when , nominations to the Court have much greater weight than in the past.
“What moves Alcolumbre intimately doesn’t matter. What matters is that the dramatization of a nomination for the STF should be something expected considering the party-political face that the top of the Judiciary branch has assumed”, he highlights.
Finally, Barreto points out that the resistance of the president of the Senate, therefore, is not just a matter of opposition to Messias’ nomination, but a reflection of the tensions between the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary powers, which are increasingly intertwined in the Brazilian political scenario.
“It is possible that all the nominations that follow will no longer have merely protocol approval from now on and intense political battles will ensue, which positions of trust will not be able to resolve, taking into account the size of the power that a ministerial chair currently has”, he concludes.
