President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva asked ministers to take advantage of Christmas to help in the campaign of the Minister of the Attorney General’s Office (AGU), Jorge Messias, whom he nominated for a vacancy on the Federal Supreme Court (STF). The choice of Messiah, who is evangelical, faces resistance in the Senate.
“Anyone who has a friendly senator, be sure to call (at Christmas) and ask for a vote for Messias”, stated the president at the last ministerial meeting of the year, this Wednesday, 17th, held at Granja do Torto.
Lula classified Messias as “a great lawyer”. “His nomination is based on merit, not because of personal friendship”, he argued, in a message to senators who say they are against Messias’ nomination because they consider him very close to the PT.
Continues after advertising
The choice of the Union’s attorney general for Minister Luís Roberto Barroso’s vacancy in the STF angered the president of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP). He defended the nomination of senator Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) for Barroso’s seat.
Lula announced the choice of Messiah without speaking to Alcolumbre. Irritated, the president of the Senate scheduled the hearing of the Union’s attorney general at the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ) for the 10th. Alcolumbre’s allies maintain that he did this to not give Messias time to win votes. The senator denies it.
To have his name approved as a minister of the STF, the person nominated by the president must have his name approved not only in the CCJ hearing but also in the Senate plenary, where he needs the support of at least 41 of the 81 senators.
Upon realizing that Alcolumbre was working against Messias, Lula did not send the presidential message with the nomination for the Senate. Without this document, the president was forced to postpone the Messiah hearing.
The government’s expectation is that the hearing will now be scheduled for the beginning of February 2026, after the parliamentary recess.
