President celebrated harmony with the Legislature after defeats in the Senate, but Alcolumbre’s absence from Planalto exposes post-Messiah malaise
The president (PT) defended the National Congress this Wednesday (May 20, 2026), just under a month after seeing his nominee for a seat on the STF (Supreme Federal Court), the Union’s attorney general Jorge Messias, be .
During the 100-day ceremony of the Brazil National Pact Against Feminicide, at Palácio do Planalto, the PT member thanked congressmen by name for the swift approval of the package of gender protection laws.
“We need to publicly recognize the National Congress, which is often heavily criticized and rarely praised. And praise your speed and boldness in approving so many things in such a short time”stated Lula.
The president defended that institutional independence should not create barriers in the fight against violence: “How often do the Executive Branch and the Judiciary Branch work together? The fact that we are autonomous does not mean that we should be distant”he spoke.
“When we had the idea of bringing together the Three Powers and building this pact against violence against women, certainly almost none of us believed it would be possible in such a short time”said Lula.
Attention was drawn to the absence of the president of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP), who worked to reject Messias’ nomination to the STF at the event. He signed the pact in February and had been invited to the ceremony, but did not attend.
In a speech, First Lady Janja da Silva outlined the measures and spoke about what she considers to be the dangers of “machosphere”. She referenced a documentary of the same name and the rise of radicalized discourse on the internet and that virtual machismo destroys lives in the real world. The first lady also defended that the fight against feminicide be treated as a collective agenda for society and the State, free from partisan disputes.
2 DECREES AND 4 BILLS
During the ceremony, Lula signed 2 decrees with rules on the performance of digital platforms. They update the Marco Civil da Internet and create new obligations to combat violence against women. Understand more.
The president also endorsed 4 bills aimed at protecting women that had already been presented by congressmen. Find out what they are.
Present at the event, the president of the Chamber, (Republicanos-PB), that the deputies approved 73 articles on the topic during the period, including the program “Before It Happens” and the autonomous use of electronic ankle bracelets in case of protective measures.
The president of the STF, Edson Fachin, highlighted the procedural agility in the matter and reported that more than 50% of protective measures decisions by the CNJ (National Council of Justice) are already granted on the same day. The official balance shows that the pact reached 2,615 municipalities in all 27 units of the Federation and provided 38 thousand structured services.
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