The Lula (PT) government has intensified, in recent days, negotiations to guarantee the approval of the (Supreme Federal Court), which will be voted on this Wednesday (29).
PT emissaries try to improve the mood of the Senate, presided over by , negotiating nominations from the House for regulatory agencies and also the commitment of RP2 amendments, indicated by parliamentarians, but paid in accordance with the Executive’s wishes.
This offensive is commanded by the Minister of the Institutional Relations Secretariat (PT). He took over the political coordination of the government on the 14th with , which resists the name of Messiah.
The president of the Senate makes it difficult to approve the Union’s attorney general, as he would prefer that Lula had nominated senator Rodrigo Pacheco (PSB-MG) to the STF.
Politicians from Planalto and Congress told Sheetsubject to the reservation that negotiations of positions and amendments take place to improve the relationship between the government and the Senate in general terms. The help in indicating the Messiah, in this account, would be a consequence of this new moment.
Interlocutors report that Guimarães and Alcolumbre have been talking constantly and negotiating the division of regulatory agency positions.
They would be reaching an understanding about how many vacancies would be filled by government names and how many would be appointed by the Senate. There are vacancies (Securities Commission), Anac (National Civil Aviation Agency) and ANM (National Mining Agency), for example. Positions at the Geological Survey of Brazil were added to the negotiation table.
On another front, members of the government and parliamentarians report an increase in the commitment of extra funds stamped by congressmen, generally with the item RP2, which is difficult to trace. This type of indication is made within the ministries’ budget, with no obligation to pay. In other words, it is an additional amount that Planalto can release for electoral strongholds of deputies and senators.
Guimarães has been trying before the vote. The president of the Senate has resisted, but the possibility has not yet been ruled out by government officials. They consider that a possible meeting would be a gesture from the president of the Senate and would help consolidate the approval of the AGU.
Pacheco, who was passed over, has already shown signs of resignation and has not stood in the way of Lula’s chosen one. The senator must run for the Government of Minas Gerais with the support of the PT member. Alcolumbre, according to people trying to build a bridge with the Planalto, stopped campaigning against Messias, but has not moved towards approval either.
Lula announced the appointment of Messias to the STF last time. The dissatisfaction of Alcolumbre and the Senate in general was such that the president held off sending the message to Congress until the end of March.
Until last week, the government base considered that Messias had achieved a safe margin to guarantee his nomination, with around 48 votes. He needs the support of 41 of the 81 senators to reach the STF. In recent days, allies have detected signs of demobilization, but without further warning. Today, the base calculates that Lula’s nominee has at least 45 votes.
According to senators close to Alcolumbre, the president of the Senate has not been directly awarded government benefits, which are negotiated with parliamentarians. The understanding is that, as Alcolumbre has not helped in the approval of Messias with favorable gestures, it would not be up to Planalto to meet his exclusive demands, but those of the Senate.
The opposition, in turn, tries to defeat Messias to weaken Lula. The bloc formed by PL, Novo and Avante, with 18 senators, decided to vote against, which emptied the Planalto nominee’s only asset on the conservative right — the fact that he is an evangelical. Among the 18 members of the evangelical parliamentary front in the Senate, seven are part of these parties.
In addition to them, other members of the front have already indicated that they will vote against, such as Cleitinho (-MG), Alan Rick (Republicanos-AC) and Carlos Viana (-MG). (Republicanos-DF) should also vote against, but other colleagues from the evangelical group are pro-Messiah, such as Eliziane Gama (PT-MA) and Dr. Eudócia (PSDB-AL).
This scenario makes Bolsonaro senators bet on a rejection of the AGU. It would be a bitter defeat for the government, since the last time this happened was in 1894, during the Floriano Peixoto government.
Messias, on the other hand, has had the support of minister André Mendonça, nominated for the position by (PL) and who also faced resistance from Alcolumbre when he was nominated, in 2021. The magistrate, evangelical and conservative, has tried to reduce resistance from the right to the AGU.
