On Sunday (30/11), the President of the Federal Senate, Davi Alcolombre (União Brasil-AP), issued a memorandum criticizing sectors of the executive power. Alcolombre said it was “puzzling” that the letter appointing Jorge Mesías to the Federal Supreme Court (STF) had not yet been sent to the Chamber of Deputies by Palacio do Planalto.
“After the decision was taken by the President of the Republic and published in the Official Gazette of the Federation, it causes perplexity to the Senate for not yet sending the written letter, which appears to seek to unjustifiably interfere with the timetable established by the House of Representatives, which is the exclusive prerogative of the Federal Senate,” the Senate President said in a memorandum.
Alcombre complained that sectors of Lula’s government were creating a “false narrative” that disputes between authorities were resolved through adjustments of “physiological interests, with positions and adjustments.”
He said: “There is a clear attempt by sectors of the executive authority to create a false impression, before society, that disputes between authorities are resolved by adjusting physiological interests, with positions and amendments. This is insulting not only to the President of the National Conference, but to the entire legislative authority.”
Alcolombre’s memo was published at a time of tension between him and Palacio do Planalto over his candidacy for STF membership. The President of the Senate wanted the name chosen to be Senator Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), but President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva chose Mesías, the current Attorney General of the Union (AGU). In the corridors of the House of Representatives, senators say that 41 votes are not necessary to confirm the government’s nominee.
The nomination was announced on November 20, but the government has not yet sent the letter to the Senate. Alcombre announced last Tuesday (11/25) that Messias’ hearing will be held on December 10 in the Constitution and Justice Committee, but if the message does not arrive, the Senate will not be able to hear Lula’s chosen one.
In the memo published Sunday, the Senate president said the deadline set for holding the hearing was “consistent” with “almost all” of the previous nominees.
“The deadline set for the hearing is consistent with almost all previous indications and allows for the definition in 2025, avoiding the delay that has been strongly criticized at other times,” the politician from Amapa stated. The delay he refers to is that of today’s STF Minister Andre Mendonça, who spent months waiting for a Senate hearing due to Alcolombre’s selection.
As it turns out CapitalsLula has a desire to deliver the message personally to the Colombian, and a meeting between the two is expected to take place in the next few days. With the bad relationship with the Senate not choosing Pacheco, and with the possibility of his defeat, Planalto tries to calm the atmosphere before sending the message.
Formal letter to the Senate
- The official letter from the Presidency is prepared by the Special Secretariat for Legal Affairs (SAJ) of the Civil House
- The document presents information such as the candidate’s professional resume, a cover letter, a list of legal proceedings in which he has participated, and statements denying favoritism and involvement in state-owned companies, for example.
- As of this report’s last update, the document was still under construction and there was no set date for it to be sent to the Senate.
- Interlocutors use the argument that when STF Minister Cristiano Zanin was appointed by Lula, the civilian Chamber of Deputies took 12 days to send the official letter to the Senate after its publication in the Official Journal of the Union (DOU).
- However, behind the scenes, Alcombre indicated that he still wanted to hold the hearing this year, and that if the government did not send the documents on time, it would use the formalization of Christ’s nomination published in the DOU on September 20.
The Colombri used the demonstration to defend the separation of powers. He said: “No force should rule itself above another, and no one should have a monopoly on reason. Attempts to weaken the morale of others for the purpose of self-promotion cannot be allowed, especially on grounds that do not correspond to reality.”
Finally, the Senate President said that through his presidency, nothing “outside the process” would be able to interfere with the “free, sovereign and informed” decision of the Senate.