The president () told allies that he should send the name for the vacancy of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) to the Senate, even after the House of the Union’s attorney general.
According to people close to him, the PT member wants to reaffirm that the choice is the prerogative of the President of the Republic. In conversations, he also says he is aware that the Senate did not impose a personal defeat on Messiah, but on his government.
The expectation is that the Chief Executive will forward the name before October. To the ministers and political organizers with whom he spoke, Lula stated that there was no technical justification for the rejection and that Messias did not deserve it.
These allies say that, after watching the highlights of Messias’ hearing, Lula reinforced the assessment that the head of the AGU is prepared for the role.
People close to Lula claim that episodes such as the gesture of retribution to Messias during the inauguration of the new president of the (Superior Electoral Court), where he was strongly applauded, reinforced the credibility of the AGU in the eyes of the president.
The tribute to Messias at the TSE was, Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP), clashing with other members of the official board of the TSE. During the ceremony, Lula barely exchanged words with Alcolumbre, demonstrating the atmosphere between the two.
People close to him reported that the attorney general became a recluse after having his name rejected by the Senate and .
Lula, however, recommended that he not make a decision in the heat of defeat. on May 13th, and his return is scheduled for the 25th.
At the AGU (Advocacy General of the Union), there are those who assess that, if he remains in office, there will be embarrassment in dealing with the Union’s interests with the STF, given the opposition to his name from some members of the court.
Lula’s allies were betting on Messias’ name to take over the Ministry of Justice in a scenario where the ministry would be divided – the president has already said he intends to split the ministry into two (one for Justice and the other for Public Security) if the Security PEC is approved by Congress.
Lula even considered nominating a woman for the position on the STF, including under pressure from PT allies. For party leader in the Chamber, Pedro Uczai (PT-SC), in addition to the issue of representation, choosing a minister would bring a lower risk of rejection at this time.
Political articulation without changes
The episode represented a problem in the political articulation of the PT administration with Congress, since the number of votes in favor of Messias was lower than had been predicted by government leaders. Despite this, Lula told allies that he does not intend to make changes to the political coordination team, even with the unprecedented rejection. For him, the leader of the government in the Senate, (PT-BA), .
The president should also not give up (Institutional Relations), the government’s representative in political coordination with Congress.
