The defeat of Jorge Messias’ name at the Federal Supreme Court (STF) opened a political crisis that threatens to affect the main electoral plan of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in Minas Gerais. With the rejection of the Union’s attorney general due to a negative score in addition to the betrayals already accounted for by the base, government allies began to express distrust in the performance of senator Rodrigo Pacheco (PSB-MG), today seen as a central piece in Planalto’s strategy to compete for the state government.
Pacheco is treated by Lula as a potential candidate capable of facing the right in Minas, considered one of the most important electoral colleges in the country. Despite still remaining publicly undecided, the senator was being encouraged by Palácio do Planalto to enter the dispute, including as a way of structuring the president’s platform in Minas. When contacted, Pacheco did not respond.
The crisis was triggered after the rejection of Messias by the Senate, in a historic vote, with 42 votes against and 34 in favor. The defeat exposed flaws in the government’s articulation and started an internal movement to map votes, which are secret, and identify possible betrayals, even though allies publicly reject the idea of a “witch hunt”.
It is in this context that suspicions about Pacheco arise. Government interlocutors report doubts about the senator’s level of knowledge regarding the articulation that led to the defeat, led, according to these reports, by the president of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP).
Distrust gained strength in the face of an apparent contradiction in the Minas Gerais senator’s nods to the STF candidate. In the days leading up to the vote, Pacheco made a series of public gestures of support for Messias, endorsed a note favorable to the nominee alongside the PSB bench, had lunch with the Union’s attorney general and made a point of appearing alongside him in a photo taken at the meeting.
Despite this, members of the government began to question whether the stance actually reflected their position and questioned whether Pacheco, especially due to his proximity to the president of the Senate, was not aware of Alcolumbre’s articulation.
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The chronology of the facts also fuels suspicion. According to interlocutors, Davi Alcolumbre had already been acting against the name of Messias since the beginning of the week. On Tuesday, after lunch between Pacheco and the nominee, the movement reportedly intensified. While Pacheco met with Messias, Alcolumbre expanded contacts to consolidate opposing votes.
There are also, behind the scenes, complaints about the fact that the senator did not clarify whether he voted for or against Messias, which, in the view of party members, reinforces the perception of a lack of commitment.
On Pacheco’s side, however, the reaction is to reject suspicions. Interlocutors claim that there is no concrete evidence against the senator and classify the accusations as unfounded.
— It is part of the democratic process. The one who lost with this was the STF. Rodrigo did his part by supporting the PSB, but part of the Senate, stressed by the elections and other factors, ended up liquidating this process — said former mayor of Contagem Marília Campos (PT), pre-candidate for the Senate on Pacheco’s ticket.
— He spoke out, did what he could. But I also don’t think that Alcolumbre could resolve tensions that were at the center of this debate. This was within Lula’s competence, who went into the fight and lost. Rodrigo is our candidate – he stated.
According to an ally, “what exists is distrust, absolutely nothing concrete”. According to this group, resistance to the name of Messias was public and concentrated in Alcolumbre’s actions, and had no relation to Pacheco.
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For this same interlocutor, “the whole country knew that Davi didn’t want the Messiah”, and the Amapá senator’s questions would be specific to negotiations with Lula, that is, they would have nothing to do with Pacheco. The allies also highlight the public gestures made by the miner in favor of the nominee as proof of his position. “It’s going against the facts”, summarized one of them.
Impact on Minas
Faced with doubts about Rodrigo Pacheco’s role, the political impact is already felt in Minas Gerais as PT members begin to consider the possibility that the senator will not pursue his candidacy for state government and are already discussing alternatives.
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Among the names mentioned behind the scenes are deputy Reginaldo Lopes (PT) and former mayor of Belo Horizonte Alexandre Kalil (PDT), who could take over the dispute if the plan with Pacheco does not come to fruition. According to a Genial/Quaest survey released on Tuesday, Kalil has 14% of voting intentions in the first round, ahead of the 8% recorded for Pacheco.
Members of the PT also began to defend, privately, that Marília Campos could be made “a sacrifice” to guarantee a competitive platform in the state, if Pacheco withdraws from the dispute.
Marília herself, however, denies that she will assume this role directly and reinforced her defense of Pacheco’s name as a candidate from the government camp.
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PT members also began to assess that Pacheco never demonstrated a real willingness to compete for the government of Minas and to lead a platform for Lula in the state.
The discourse at the PT leadership is that, in the current polarized environment, there is no space for a profile like Pacheco’s. The assessment is that the senator avoids being linked to an ideological camp and tries to maintain a position of neutrality, which could weaken him in a dispute marked by polarization between PT and Bolsonarism.
In the Minas Gerais scenario, the affiliation of businessman Josué Gomes, former president of Fiesp and son of former vice-president José Alencar, to the PSB of Minas Gerais also entered the recent political radar. The movement is seen as another variable in the definition of candidacies in the state.
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To date, however, the PT has not yet made a final decision on who its candidate for the government of Minas will be.
While he faces distrust in the government, Pacheco also does not find clear support among sectors of the right. Interlocutors in this field claim that, even in a scenario of eventual departure from the Planalto, the senator would not have a consolidated political space.
