President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told aides that he will consult with Sen. Rodrigo Pacheco as well as TCU President Bruno Dantas and hold a new meeting with the Supreme Court ministers before announcing his candidacy for Luiz Roberto Barroso’s vacancy. Mr. Pacheco and Mr. Dantas are also being considered as successors, but the president’s environment ministers say Mr. Lula’s favorite name remains Jorge Messias, the coalition’s attorney general.
Three weeks ago, the president spoke with Senate President David Alcolumbre (Unified Associated Press) to postpone the selection of Mr. Barroso’s successor, giving him more certainty of securing the nomination. The fear is that Mesias will face resistance in the Senate. This is because the preferred name of most members of Congress is Mr. Pacheco, and Mr. Pacheco has already served two terms as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Those around Lula expect the political environment to become more favorable to Messias’ nomination in the Senate. According to these ministers, the meeting Mr. Lula plans to hold will not be a consultation on the name, but rather a campaign to discuss Mr. Lula’s choice with the court and the Senate.
In October, Lula discussed his nomination as Chief Justice with Supreme Court ministers. He had dinner with Barroso and on other occasions hosted STF Ministers Flavio Dino, Cristiano Zanin, Gilmar Mendez, Alexandre de Moraes and Attorney General Ricardo Lewandowski.
As for Pacheco and Dantas, Lula will gesture to both and explain the reasons for his choices. In Belem, Lula met with Bruno Dantas during the COP, but reports said neither party discussed the issue.
When he chose Flavio Dino’s name to fill Rosa Weber’s vacancy in November 2023, Lula called Mesias, who was also a candidate for the vacancy at the time, and informed the minister that he had resigned at the time.
The president returned from Belem on Monday night after a 10-day stay in the capital state of Pará. There, he participated in preparatory events and the opening of COP 30. The definition of Barroso’s successor upon his return to Brasilia is one of the main topics awaiting decisions from PT members.
On Monday, House of Representatives Government Leader Jack Wagner (PT-BA) said in Belém that Lula should meet with Pacheco this week and that there was no possibility of withdrawing Messias’ selection.
– After President Lula returns (from Belem to Brasilia), he will have to meet with Senator Rodrigo Pacheco again and announce (the names to the STF), probably tomorrow, probably Wednesday. Honestly, I think the name is out there. I can’t imagine a reversal,” Wagner said.
Another person close to Lula, PT President Edinho Silva, said Lula’s strategy for building his candidate’s politics was to focus on the Senate. He defended Messias’ appointment, saying Lula would know “the ideal time to make a decision.”
— in my opinion, one of the greatest jurists in this country today. Very prepared and capable of interacting with society as a whole. And he is an evangelical, does not hide it, admits himself and is proud of it. Of course, having evangelicals in the STF also balances the ideas and concepts of society. That’s an added element for a very talented jurist – he told Record News in Belem this Tuesday.
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