The president of , (-AP), asked at least two senators to vote against the (Supreme Federal Court), according to their reports to Sheet.
The movement behind the scenes contrasts with the public stance of the senator, who has stated to the press and government interlocutors (PT) that he will remain neutral in the dispute, without acting to help in the approval of the person chosen by the PT, but also without seeking to harm him.
The senators did not want to say when the request occurred, but at least two members of the STF also say they see Alcolumbre acting against the approval of Messias this week. One of them told the reporter that he had heard that the senator had said he would do everything to defeat the nominee.
In a note to Sheet this Wednesday (29), Alcolumbre repeated that he maintains institutional activities and denied that he had asked the senators to vote against Messias. “It is regrettable that, on an important day for institutions, conversations in the hallway gain prominence. The president is tired of ‘hearsay’ reports, which generate fake news and are published without responsibility”, he declared, through his advisor.
Alcolumbre wanted President Lula to have chosen the senator (PSB-MG) for the open vacancy on the court and moved away from the PT member after Messias was nominated.
He argued in conversations with these senators that the rejection of Lula’s nominee would symbolize a strengthening of the Legislature and that from then on, nominations for the STF would necessarily be negotiated in advance with the Senate, the House responsible for hearing and approving them.
Government interlocutors even sought out the president of the Senate in light of rumors for weeks that he was still working to reject Lula’s chosen candidate for the position and heard from him that he would guarantee the normal procedure for the vote, without getting in the way.
“Everyone tells me he [Alcolumbre] it’s not helping, which is a fact, but it’s also not weighing in to get in the way”, stated the leader of the government in the Senate, (-BA), with the hearing already underway this Wednesday (29).
The rapporteur chosen by the president of the Senate to nominate Messias is (PDT-MA), one of his main allies. Rocha is also close to Lula and has worked for approval.
Alcolumbre’s action reported in the report is more subtle than that at the end of last year. At the time, the president of the Senate demonstrated his discontent to several senators and even talked about postponing the hearing until after the October election.
After Alcolumbre scheduled the hearing for the nominee for the STF, government supporters and other senators close to the president of the Senate began to report that he had assumed a neutral stance in relation to Messias.
Last week, the president of the Senate also said in conversations reserved for Supreme Court ministers that he would do everything to ensure that Messias’ nomination was rejected, the report found. Sheet. Members of the STF are among the main supporters of Lula’s nominee.
Alcolumbre had a similar attitude when he was nominated, still during the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), of André Mendonça for the Supreme Court. The effort was unsuccessful. Today Mendonça is not only a member of the court but also of the Court, the case of and the deviations of the (National Institute of Social Security), and asks for votes in favor of Messias.
Alcolumbre’s conversations with senators were also reported by senators during the meeting in which government opponents discussed ways of trying to stop Messias. The meeting was on Tuesday (28).
The reasoning reported at the meeting and attributed to Alcolumbre was that the opposition, which demands that he open impeachment proceedings against STF ministers, has the opportunity to give a message to the Supreme Court if it rejects Messias. If he doesn’t take advantage of it, he should stop pressuring him for processes to depose ministers, as he wouldn’t have enough votes to even block the appointment of a new minister.
The government believes, however, that the nominee may have support among opponents because of his low profile and because he is evangelical, since the vote is secret and the population will not know how each senator voted.
The opposition estimates that it has around 30 votes against Messias and thinks that Alcolumbre could influence between 15 and 20 senators against Lula’s nominee. If this calculation is correct, he will have his nomination rejected, something that has not happened since 1894. The government supporters claim to have at least 45 votes in favor of Messias, which would allow approval, probably by a narrow margin.
Alcolumbre and Messias had a meeting, at a dinner at the house of a Supreme Court minister, but government officials are still trying to obtain a clear decision from the president of the Senate for Lula’s nominee to the STF. Executive articulators also with senators looking for more votes for Messiah.
STF ministers are appointed by the President of the Republic, but only assume the position if they are approved by the Senate. They need to be examined by the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Committee) of the House, and have at least 41 favorable votes in the plenary. The Senate has a total of 81 members.
