Evangelical allies of , nominated by the president (PT) for a vacancy on the (Federal Supreme Court), plan to take a delegation of pastors to support him. The idea is to put pressure on parliamentarians on the day of the vote that will decide whether he will become a minister of the court.
The name of Messiah is at risk of not being approved. Taking pastors to ask for votes in his favor would be a way of indicating to parliamentarians that the eventual rejection could be poorly received by the evangelical electorate and harm the performance of certain politicians in the next electoral campaign.
The last census showed that , a portion that politicians who contest majority elections, such as senators, cannot ignore. These groups are not politically homogeneous, but they tend to be .
In October, and other representatives of the Assembly of God Ministry of Madureira at Palácio do Planalto. Messiah participated in the reception and prayed with those present.
Lula announced (20), contradicting the president of the Senate, (-AP), and most of the senators. They wanted the nominee to be also a senator (-MG), former president of the House.
Alcolumbre has shown signs that it is willing to . The nominee needs the favorable vote of at least 41 of the 81 senators to take office in the Supreme Court.
Messias began campaigning immediately after being announced by Lula. He contacted several senators by telephone and made some visits to offices. In at least part of these conversations he highlighted his religious identity, describing himself as “a God-fearing evangelical”, in the words he himself used, according to dialogues reported to the Sheet.
Lula’s nominee also reinforces this identity in public. On Sunday (30), he published on the networks a reference to evangelical day, with a biblical passage that alludes to pacification. “Let’s build bridges together and promote harmony, reflecting the true spirit of the gospel. May the peace of Christ always guide us!”, he wrote.
Senators interviewed by the report in recent days repeat that they have nothing against Messias and that they like him, but that the fact that Lula chose him over Pacheco reduces his chances of getting votes. Politicians also usually tell their nominee that their situation is delicate.
The predominant analysis is that Messias will be unlikely to obtain the support he needs if there is no agreement between Alcolumbre and Lula. Allies of the President of the Republic believe that both will talk in the near future and that the political temperature will lower.
The nominee has little time to campaign. Alcolumbre announced that both the hearing to which Messias needs to be submitted in the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission) of the Senate and the decisive vote in the plenary.
Despite the Senate president’s indisposition, Messias’ allies understood the fact that Alcolumbre chose senator Weverton Rocha (PDT-MA) as rapporteur for the nomination as a positive sign — in other words, it will be up to him to recommend approval or rejection to the other senators, who will vote as they prefer.
Weverton is close to Alcolumbre, but is also a supporter of Lula and has indicated that he will help Messias access the senators he needs to talk to. The president of the Senate could have chosen an opposition politician for the post and made life even more difficult for the candidate for Supreme Court minister.
If Messias and his allies are unable to reverse the resistance to his name, Lula will suffer a defeat of historic proportions. Five nominees for the STF have already been rejected by the Senate, in the early days of the Republic. Since the end of the 19th century, those nominated by the head of government have been accepted.
