The president of the Chamber is preparing for this week the vote that will define the next minister of the TCU (Federal Audit Court). This scenario favors the candidate supported by the head of the House, seen as the favorite. The dispute will take place in the vote, without an agreement, against candidates from the PSD and PL.
The voting session has not yet been officially scheduled by Motta, but the president of the Chamber is expected to announce it at the leaders’ meeting scheduled for this Tuesday (7). The bet is that the election for the position will take place on Wednesday (8). The booths where deputies will cast their votes secretly are being installed in the House.
Motta’s support for Odair for the position of minister of the TCU is part of the agreement that led the PT to support the Paraíba native in the dispute for the presidency of the Chamber, in 2025. The PT member started as a broad favorite, but his internal campaign began to lose strength in recent months, with House leaders pointing to a chance of defeat in the plenary.
The PSD launched deputy Hugo Leal (RJ), which was seen as a challenge to the agreement signed by Motta with Odair. The PL also did not feel included and launched Hélio Lopes (RJ), also known as Hélio Negão. Representative Danilo Forte (CE) tried to run for União Brasil, which he refused, and is now trying to run for the PP.
Until then, the vote for the TCU did not even have a prospect of when it could take place. The installation of voting booths took some parliamentarians by surprise. The assessment is that, by giving less campaign time to Odair’s opponents, Motta favored the PT member, who already started ahead.
Odair’s allies, in turn, believe that the PT member has a margin of safety that will give him the position. In recent weeks, he has supported a wing of the center, which tried to anticipate the debate on the future of the amendments.
There is room for reaction, however. Odair’s opposing wing may ask Motta to comply with the internal rules for the TCU election, which involves a hearing of candidates at the CFT (Finance and Taxation Commission) of the Chamber. If this rite is followed, there will be more campaign time.
According to a legislative decree from Congress, the “public investigation of the candidate will be carried out only before the commission initiating the process, and must be carried out within a period not exceeding three working days, counting from receipt of the nomination”. Historically, such hearing demands are ignored when electing TCU candidates.
According to Odair’s allies, the attitude of União Brasil and PSD to challenge the agreement created by Motta could lead the Chamber to internal disputes. If the challenge persists, the PT will question any concession of space from the presidency of the House to these parties, such as rapporteurs for important projects, such as the Budget.
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.
The court of accounts is made up of nine ministers. The position is lifetime. The vacancy in dispute was opened by the retirement of 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.
