“All he did was put Minas in debt,” says Haddad about Zema

The Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, criticized this Thursday (7) the governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema (Novo), amid the state’s negotiations to pay off the billion-dollar debt it owes to the Union. Haddad stated that everything What Zema did was “debt Minas” during his administration. The minister met with the president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), to discuss the issue.

“He spent four years with an ally in Planalto [Jair Bolsonaro], being able to do something for Minas. And all he did was put Minas into debt. The debt went from just over R$100 billion to R$160 billion”, said Haddad. After the meeting, the Minister of Finance and the President of the National Congress announced that they will ask the Court to extend the payment of the debt from December 20 for March 31, 2024.

Zema tries to approve the Fiscal Recovery Regime in the Legislative Assembly of Minas, but Pacheco articulates an alternative agreement for the debt directly with the Lula government. Haddad defended the performance of the president of the Senate, who would be keeping an eye on the succession of the Minas Gerais government and seeks to take the lead in the issue. For the minister, the governor “should adopt a respectful and constructive position with Congress”.

“The worst thing he [Zema] can do, having done nothing for five years, is to attack the person who will guide the agreement that is reached with the National Treasury and the federal government. So here’s the appeal: this is not the time to be talking and making fun of the press”, said Haddad.

This Wednesday (6), Zema stated that “there is a lot of talk”, but “no effective action from the federal government”, as reported by the newspaper The time. “Any alternative is welcome, we were with the president of Congress two weeks ago, he launched a proposal, but this proposal needs to be assessed by the Ministry of Finance and the National Treasury Secretariat. And so far no one has appreciated it. There was talk, there was no effective action from the federal government”, he pointed out.

In a statement, Pacheco said he wanted to “help” Zema solve his government’s “biggest problem”. “But the governor cannot want something yesterday that he was unable to resolve in five years. There are rules, negotiations and a path for this. Everything in its own time”, added the senator.