The defeat in the nomination for the Supreme Court had an undisputed winner. He has strengthened himself as one of the most important figures in the Republic, and this has consequences that will last a long time.
Alcolumbre has always been a somewhat underrated character in politics, but he manages to use this to his advantage. In 2019 he was a peripheral senator, a bit folkloric, when he chested the then all-powerful Renan Calheiros and won a dispute to preside over the . Since then, his power has only grown.
As a good representative of the center, he changes position as the wind changes. Thus, he built a good relationship with Jair Bolsonaro and had also shown himself to be an ally of the Lula government, until things spilled over with the appointment of Messias. Alcolumbre put his foot down for Rodrigo Pacheco, was ignored and ultimately showed who was boss.
He also benefited greatly from the strength that Congress has acquired in recent years. Since the budget became authoritative, and the amendments exploded in size, the Legislative branch turned the tables on the Executive. The President of the Republic’s instruments of pressure on deputies and senators have become very empty.
The Senate especially became a fortress in defense of its own interests, and a headache for Lula. This could get worse if he is re-elected, because the prediction is that the right will gain space in the House starting next year.
And that’s when Alcolumbre shows his political talent again and does another pirouette. By defeating Messias and sponsoring the overturn of the veto on the dosimetry project, he gets closer to the Bolsonarists.
This will be important in February 2027, when the new president of the Senate will be elected. The opposition wanted to place a root Bolsonaro supporter in the chair, to guide impeachment proceedings against STF ministers.
But now Alcolumbre himself can be that option and stay in charge of the House, since he gained points with Bolsonarists.
In conversations with some PL and Republican senators, he even began to signal that he could initiate impeachment proceedings against STF ministers.
In other words, in an episode with several losers, Alcolumbre came out on top. It is good to never underestimate the ability of the senator from Amapá.
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