President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told his aides that, in addition to Senator Rodrigo Pacheco, he intends to speak with Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) Minister Bruno Dantas and hold a new round of meetings with ministers of the Federal Supreme Court before announcing his candidate for the vacant position of Luis Roberto Barroso. Pacheco and Dantas are also among the candidates for the vacant position, but according to the presidential environment ministers, the Attorney General of the Federation, Jorge Mesías, remains Lula’s preferred name.
Three weeks ago, the President spoke with the President of the Senate, Davi Alcolombre (Uniao-AP), and postponed the selection of Barroso’s replacement until he could better connect the nomination. The worry here is that Mesías will face resistance in the Senate, because the preferred name of the majority of parliamentarians is Pacheco, who has already presided over the chamber for two terms.
Those around Lula expect that the political environment will become more favorable for Messias’ nomination to the Senate. The meetings that Lula intends to hold, according to these ministers, will not be a consultation about the name, but rather a movement to discuss his choice with the court and the Senate.
In October, Lula was with Supreme Court ministers discussing his nomination to the court. He dined with Barroso and, on another occasion, received STF Ministers Flavio Dino, Cristiano Zanin, Gilmar Mendes and Alexandre de Moraes, as well as the President of Justice, Ricardo Lewandowski.
As for Pacheco and Dantas, Lula intends to make a gesture to both of them, explaining the reasons for his choice. In Belém, Lula met with Bruno Dantas during the COP, but according to reports, neither of them discussed the issue.
When he chose the name of Flavio Dino for the vacant position of Rosa Weber, in November 2023, Lula called Messias, who at that time was also a candidate for the vacant position, to inform the minister that he had bypassed him at that time.
The President returned from Belém on Monday evening after ten days in the capital, Pará, where he participated in the preparatory activities and opening of the thirtieth session of the Conference of the Parties. Returning to Brasilia, identifying Barroso’s replacement is one of the main topics awaiting a decision from the Workers’ Party member.
On Monday, the government leader in the House of Representatives, Jacques Wagner (PT-BA), stated in Belém that Lula should meet with Pacheco this week, and that he saw no chance of backing down when Messias was chosen:
– President Lula, upon his return (from Belém to Brasilia), which should be tomorrow and therefore, perhaps on Wednesday, must have another dialogue with Senator Rodrigo Pacheco to announce (name to STF). I honestly think the name is there. “I don’t see a reversal,” Wagner said.
Another name close to Lula, the leader of the Workers’ Party, Edinho Silva, stated that Lula’s strategy in the political construction of his candidate is to value the Senate. He defended Messias’ appointment and said that Lula would know “the perfect time to make a decision”:
– In my opinion, one of the greatest jurists in the country today. He is fully prepared and has the ability to engage in dialogue with society as a whole. He is an evangelical, he does not hide, he admits himself, and he is proud of it. Of course, having an evangelical on STF also balances the way of thinking, and notions of society. It is an additional factor for a very competent jurist – he said this Tuesday in Belem to Record News.
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