The Union’s attorney general, Jorge Messias, intensified the offensive against the opposition in the Senate after PL and Novo announced that they would vote against his nomination to the Federal Supreme Court (STF). This Wednesday, he will meet with the leader of the PL in the House, Carlos Portinho (RJ), who has already declared a vote against the name.
The meeting in the senator’s office will be the first between the two since the appointment made by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in November last year. The agenda occurs despite formal guidance from opposing benches.
— I welcome everyone, even the ones I said no to. It’s part of the liturgy of the position — Portinho told GLOBO.
In a joint note, PL and Novo stated that the moment is one of “institutional instability” and that they do not consider the appointment of new ministers to the Supreme Court to be appropriate. The text also cites a “growing distance” between the Court, the Legislature and society as a justification for closing the issue.
Despite the resistance, Messias has sought to expand dialogue and reduce rejection. In recent months, he sent messages to senators on dates such as Christmas and Easter, a gesture seen as an attempt at personal contact and which was well evaluated by parliamentarians.
The strategy also involves the support of interlocutors with opposition positions. STF minister André Mendonça, appointed by Jair Bolsonaro and who maintains good relations with Bolsonaro senators, has been working behind the scenes to help unlock resistance. In public, he even praised Messiah and signaled support:
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— I hope that you will soon be able to leave the AGU for a good reason, to be with me there at the Federal Supreme Court — said the minister on the 6th.
The assessment of allies is that Mendonça’s actions help to reduce part of the resistance in the conservative camp, even if it does not reverse the formal orientation of the parties
Messias also bets on the secret nature of voting in plenary. Interlocutors claim that there are senators who today declare their vote against, but could support their name on the ballot, without public exposure. Subject to reservations, a parliamentarian questioned by GLOBO stated that he will do so.
The melee, however, generated noise with the president of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP). He was bothered by Messias’ participation in a dinner last week organized by senator Lucas Barreto (PSD-AP), his political opponent in the state. Allies in the past, Alcolumbre and Barreto broke up in 2021, when the President of the House passed him over in the elections for the vice-presidency, supporting Veneziano Vital do Rêgo (MDB-PB).
The reading of the report at the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ), held this Wednesday, marked the formal beginning of the nomination process. The hearing was brought forward to April 28th, while the nominee intensifies the fight in an attempt to consolidate enough votes for approval.
