The crisis surrounding the Bacellar investigation empties the Alerj plenary and exposes the conflict in the squares after the dismissals

• Operation Nail and Flesh 2 The PF arrests the TRF judge at the request of Alexandre de Moraes
• Bacellar’s cell phone data were the basis of a new PF operation that arrested the judge in the TH Jóias case

The case is unique: Delaroli’s decision to fire Alerj’s general director, Marcos André Riscado Brito, and the president’s chief of staff, Rui Bulhões. For many parliamentarians, although considered bold, the measure was not taken in isolation and would have had the approval of the PL leadership, as a way of “protecting” the new leadership from possible conflicts within the framework of FP investigations.

In the corridors, Marcos Brito was described by deputies as a “good place”, with easy circulation between the different political groups in the Chamber. Rui Bulhões appears in the reports as a character “more reserved, with few words, quite suspicious and Bacellar’s confidant”. An episode involving the former chief of staff attracted attention behind the scenes: parliamentarians found it strange that he changed his cell phone on the eve of the PF operation, justifying this change to deputies as a banality. In this atmosphere of apprehension, a deputy sums up the atmosphere: “The plate here is so hot that we are fighting not to catch fire.”

Despite the attempt to demonstrate his control, the predominant assessment is that Delaroli is racing against time to replenish the strategic positions left vacant. The challenge, according to allies, is to find names of absolute trust in a scenario of political instability and widespread distrust.

The misalignment was evident during Tuesday’s plenary session. While Delaroli chaired the debates, the deputies closest to Bacellar avoided requests to speak at the microphone and attracted little attention, unlike the atmosphere of last week, when the group was more united and the debates intense. Today, behind the scenes, parliamentarians are trying to get closer to the new command of the House, seeking space and political protection, while striving to dissociate themselves from the scandal.

The changes caused by the crisis are not limited to administrative positions. The rearrangement is already beginning to affect the committees and calls into question the leadership of the government in Alerj, currently exercised by deputy Rodrigo Amorim (União). In the corridors, the position began to be treated as a contested position.

The person who has already expressed interest is MP Rosenverg Reis (MDB). In plenary, he reinforced his desire to act as a “government aide,” defending Governor Cláudio Castro and budget-related projects. The move is seen as a sign that, amid political unrest, the struggle for space and leading role in Alerj has entered a new phase.