The dispute for the next one (Tribunal de Contas da União) sparked a split in the center and sparked a discussion among the deputies about the influence of the government (PT) in the Legislature and the future of parliamentary amendments.
Candidate Odair Cunha (-MG), supported by the president of the House, has been bombarded with comparisons to the minister of the (Federal Supreme Court) Flávio Dino, responsible for .
When the PT decided to endorse the Paraíba native in the dispute for the presidency of the Chamber. Two representatives of the center, the same political group as the head of the House, say they are not part of this agreement and have launched their own candidacies. União Brasil has Elmar Nascimento (BA) as its candidate, while the PSD has put up Hugo Leal (RJ).
There is also Danilo Forte (CE), who is running independently, without a party. , the largest party in the House, launched Hélio Lopes (RJ). Behind the scenes, União and PSD, ideally with PL, to join forces around a candidate. Together, these benches total 192 deputies. The nomination is made by secret vote, in plenary, without a second round.
The wing of the center that resists Odair points out that the PT’s nomination to the TCU would be a victory for the Lula government and would strengthen Planalto’s influence in the Chamber. This group has also called the Minas Gerais parliamentarian the “new Flávio Dino”, to try to indicate that, once in the position of minister of the court of accounts, the parliamentarian will take over a female parliamentarian.
The centrão as a whole fears that the STF will move against the imposition of parliamentary amendments in 2027. They believe that, with Lula re-elected, the court would end the government’s obligation to pay the transfers indicated by parliamentarians. The next president of the Republic will appoint three more ministers to the court.
The fear is fueled by the offensive of Flávio Dino, Lula’s most recent appointment to the STF, . The minister even suspended payment of transfers from the Legislature and tightened the transparency rules, regulating the so-called “new secret budget”, which are the bench and committee amendments, signed collectively by the state benches and thematic committees of Congress, respectively.
In this year’s budget, R$49.9 billion is foreseen in parliamentary amendments, of which R$37.8 million is mandatory payment. Lula has already publicly complained about what he considers to be a “hijacking” of the budget by Congress. In this way, the wing of the center that resists Odair points out that the parliamentarian could adopt the government’s stance and not defend the interest of the House if the STF advances on the amendments.
The TCU is a supervisory body and frequently regulates issues regarding the budget and parliamentary amendments. In October, for example, the court considered the use of collective parliamentary amendments to pay health personnel. The court also began monitoring the execution of this type of transfer.
Odair is in his sixth term as a federal deputy, all of them elected by the PT, and is part of the wing of the party that has the best relationship with the center, something cultivated, mainly, during the year 2024, when he led the bench. His allies highlight that the PT member represents the Chamber more than the government, but recognize that the opposing campaign is already having an effect.
According to Odair’s allies, the Union and PSD’s attitude of challenging the agreement made by Motta could lead the Chamber to a place of dispute. If the challenge persists, the PT will question any concession of space by the Presidency of the House for these parties, such as rapporteurs for important projects, such as the budget.
The vacancy in dispute was opened by the retirement of minister Aroldo Cedraz, who left TCU on February 25th. Despite this, Motta gave no sign of when he would officially open candidate nominations, much less when he would put the issue to a vote. Allies assess that, currently, Odair remains the favorite, but with no guarantee of victory.
