The chief minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, Guilherme Boulos, criticized the rejection of Jorge Messias’ name to the Federal Supreme Court by the Senate. Appointed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), the Union’s attorney general was blocked by 42 votes against and 34 in favor, in a session held this Wednesday (29).
In a post on social media, Boulos attributed the result to a political articulation by the opposition. “The alliance between Bolsonarism and political blackmail won in the rejection of Jorge Messias’ name to the STF. The Senate emerges smaller from this regrettable episode”, he stated.
The demonstration occurs after the government’s defeat in the plenary, which interrupts a historic sequence of approvals of nominees to the Supreme Court. The vote exposed Planalto’s difficulties in consolidating a majority in Congress around the nomination.
The rejection also generated divergent reactions between the government’s allies and opponents. While members of the opposition classified the result as a sign of political weakening of the Executive, members of the base attributed the defeat to cyclical factors and coordination in the Senate.
With the decision, it will be up to President Lula to nominate a new name for the vacancy in the STF, restarting the hearing and voting process in the House.
