Act in MG for the impeachment of Moraes targets Pacheco and PSD

The national movement for the impeachment of Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), will focus this Sunday (29) in Belo Horizonte, stronghold of the President of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco. He and his party, PSD, will be the main targets of pressure in the “Fora Moraes” protest that will take place in the capital of Minas Gerais. More than 20 parliamentarians, from several states, confirmed their presence at the event.

After important milestones, such as the protest on Avenida Paulista on 7 de Setembro and the formal delivery of the impeachment request to Pacheco by dozens of congressmen, the mobilization continues to seek new fronts to achieve its objective.

Defenders of Moraes’ impeachment have intensified their actions on social media and in the streets, publishing lists of undecided senators to embarrass them in front of voters and seeking international support, especially from American deputies, while the clash between Moraes and the social network takes place , suspended by the minister on August 28th.

In recent weeks, the movement’s focus has expanded, reaching Pacheco’s PSD party. Taking advantage of the context of the municipal elections, conservative parliamentarians began to preach a boycott of candidates from the “Dictatorship Sustainment Party”, as they began to refer to the Social Democratic Party.

With the largest bench in the Senate, of 15 senators, the majority undecided on impeachment, the PSD, led by Gilberto Kassab, became the target of a wave of criticism initiated by deputies Gustavo Gayer (PL-GO) and Nikolas Ferreira (PL -MG), with support from other names, such as pastor Silas Malafaia.

Although they highlight “exceptions to the rule”, the attack on the PSD aims to expose its senators to the electorate and challenge the party’s orientation, seen as convenient for agreements with the government, by maintaining a neutral stance on Moraes’ impeachment.

This criticism of the PSD’s “impartial” stance, now considered the biggest obstacle to the opening of impeachment, is reflected in this Sunday’s “Fora Moraes” protest. The organizers of the event in Belo Horizonte believe that, although Pacheco has the power to shelve or initiate the impeachment process, he would be pressured to act if 41 of the 81 senators supported the request.

Lawyer and political activist Marco Antônio Costa, who leads the demonstration in Minas Gerais, goes further and believes that, if Pacheco refuses to initiate the process, he could be denounced and removed from the Senate for malfeasance. “He cannot simply ignore a request supported by the majority”, he says.

In the general context of the mobilization, Costa is especially uncomfortable with the stance of the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), for not engaging more actively in the cause and putting pressure on the Senate against what he calls “dictatorship”. Tarcísio, who has Gilberto Kassab as his main secretary, would be working behind the scenes to find “less traumatic” solutions than impeachment.

“Tarcísio embraced the system. By denouncing this, I do not want to divide the right, but rather to unite all conservatives in defense of democracy and freedom”, stated Costa.

The protest in Belo Horizonte is expected to be attended by deputies such as Altineu Cortês (PL-RJ), Bia Kicis (PL-DF), Cabo Gilberto (PL-PB), Carla Zambelli (PL-SP), Daniel José (Podemos- SP), Dr. Frederico (PRD-MG), Evair de Melo (PP-ES), Eros Biondini (PL-MG), Gustavo Gayer (PL-GO), José Medeiros (PL-MT), Junio ​​Amaral (PL- MG), Luciano Zucco (PL-RS), Marcel van Hattem (Novo-RS), Marcos Pollon (PL-MS), Messias Donato (Republicanos-ES), Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG), Rodrigo Valadares (União-SE ) and Sergeant Gonçalves (PL-RN), in addition to senators Cleitinho (Republicanos-MG), Jorge Seif (PL-SC) and Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE).

Opposition evaluated CPI, obstruction of votes and reaction to senator’s punishment

In its campaign to impeach Moraes, the opposition has already threatened to obstruct important votes in Congress, such as tax reform, and is evaluating a Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) in the Senate to investigate alleged abuses by Alexandre de Moraes, proposed by senator Alessandro Vieira (MDB-SE).

For deputy Bia Kicis (PL-DF), Moraes’ impeachment represents “a war for freedom and the end of the dictatorship imposed by the minister”. She supports the pressure on Pacheco and the PSD, although she believes that international support could be crucial to advancing the cause. “I think the biggest contribution to our cause will come from abroad,” he said in an interview with the Entrelinhas program, on People’s Gazette.

Initially, impeachment supporters were optimistic that supporting Moraes had become politically risky. However, they recognize that corporatism in the STF has strengthened, given the possible legal and political consequences of a possible dismissal of the minister.

Expert sees wear and tear for Pacheco, but resistance maintained against impeachment

Luiz Filipe Freitas, political analyst at Malta Advogados, highlights that public protests against politicians tend to harm their projects, such as that of Pacheco, who is expected to seek re-election as senator in 2026 or even a candidacy for the government of Minas Gerais.

Freitas also recalls that a video of Nikolas Ferreira criticizing the PSD caused a strong repercussion on social media, associating the party with Pacheco’s inertia and his participation in the Lula government with control of ministries. The reaction was immediate: Senator Irajá (PSD-TO) responded to the criticism on video, calling Nikolas immature.

“In addition to causing discomfort, the demonstration could undermine the credibility of Pacheco and his party in Minas Gerais, a historically decisive state in the presidential elections. I see this as a well-founded strategy, although unlikely to force Pacheco to change his stance on impeachment” , commented Freitas.

According to the analyst, Sunday’s demonstration seems more like a strategic move aimed at weakening the PSD than a real effort to remove Moraes. “It is worth remembering that the opposition was unable to prevent the appointment of Flávio Dino to the STF, nor elect Rogério Marinho to the presidency of the Senate. Therefore, the pressure remains on the networks and in the streets”, he concluded.