The criticism of the president () and some of his allies towards the (Federal Supreme Court) in recent days was a way for the political group to try to contain the political wear and tear caused by the .
The case, which shook the court’s image among the electorate, has been exploited by right-wing sectors that were already attacking the court. Lula and his allies are looking for a way to not let their opponents turn the scandal into an advantage for this year’s elections.
This week, the PT member suggested that the Constitution be changed to better detail the parameters for appointing ministers and mentioned the possibility of establishing a mandate for members of the court.
Senators allied with Lula, led by (-AL), articulate a PEC (proposed amendment to the Constitution) to regulate what Supreme Court ministers can and cannot do.
The PT member, however, fears that a project of this type will be hijacked by the Bolsonaro opposition. In this scenario, a PEC could provide a ride to facilitate, for example, the impeachment of members of the STF – recently, the government proposed a PEC on public security that had its content distorted throughout the process.
Despite hesitating about a proposal in this area, Lula privately shows interest in the topic.
An assistant says that, in his conversations, Lula expresses curiosity about how the conduct of judges in constitutional courts, such as the , is controlled in other countries. It also asks for information about projects such as .
Criticism of the president’s allies towards the STF would be reproducing the content of these conversations. Collaborators say that the converging speeches of PT members about the Supreme Court were not orchestrated, but they reproduce the content of these conversations.
Collaborators claim that Lula severely criticizes attitudes that came to light in the Master scandal. For months, the PT member avoided expressing these opinions publicly to avoid institutional wear and tear and to avoid fueling the contestation of the court’s legitimacy by (PL) in the coup plot process.
However, the argument prevailed that he could not turn his back on a crisis that is already being debated in society. The need for control of the Judiciary was guided by the population, in the assessment of an ally of the president.
The head of government intends to present himself in the election campaign as someone who opposes the economic elite. To do this, it is important to distance yourself from the stress of financial fraud.
As another Lula assistant summarizes, the government cannot be seen as part of the problem created by STF ministers.
Still according to this ally, the president does not intend to send projects in this regard to Congress, nor even support internal initiatives from another power. The intention was to take a position.
Lula believes that his government has no relation to the scandal, despite PT administrations in Bahia being cited in the case. Even though they think he is not involved, the president and his allies consider that the case has worn down his administration because the population would tend to associate corruption with the Executive.
“There must be a better definition in the Constitution itself of what requirements you make for someone to be a minister of the Supreme Court”, Lula on Wednesday (8) in an interview with ICL Notícias.
“We need to think about how we regulate this in the Constitution. Will there be a mandate? How long will the mandate be?”, said the President of the Republic.
On Thursday (9), it was PT president Edinho Silva’s turn to speak about the topic. “We should be debating reform of the Judiciary so that failures stop happening”, .
Previously, the historic leader of the PT, in an interview with columnist Mônica Bergamo, from Sheetthat “the king is naked”. According to him, the court needs to reform itself. “Soon a majority will be formed and it will be reformed by Parliament. It will be worse,” said Dirceu.
“The STF is not untouchable, but it also cannot be the target of dishonest attacks”, said the coordinator of the lawyer group Prerogativas, Marco Aurélio de Carvalho, one of the PT’s main interlocutors with the legal world.
“There is a legitimate demand for more clarity, transparency and institutional accountability,” he said.
