Defenders of the PGR’s triple list remain silent on Lula’s decision

Before defenders of the transformation into law of the triple list to choose the Attorney General of the Republic (PGR), leftist senators are now silent. The leaders of the government in the Senate, Jaques Wagner (PT-BA), and in Congress, Randolfe Rodrigues (Rede-AP), did not manifest themselves in the face of the decision of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to abandon the instrument to define the successor of Augusto Aras, in September.

With no reaction yet from allies in the Senate, where the future nominee will be questioned, President Lula said that he will not use the list drawn up by union entities linked to the Public Ministry to choose the new Attorney General of the Republic. The president said in an interview with BandNews FM on Thursday (2), that the list “is not always effective in solving problems”.

Lula stated that the criterion to be adopted by him is of a personal nature, seeking “someone with integrity and dignity”. But he stressed that his decision will require a lot of reflection and conversations with people from different sectors.

But, given the new position, parliamentarians allied with the government say they prefer not to expand the controversy regarding the president’s statements. A People’s Gazette sought out government leaders in the Senate and Congress, but did not receive a response.

Randolfe Rodrigues reported amendment to the Constitution

One of the biggest historical defenders of the triple list for choosing the PGR is precisely the leader of the government in Congress, Senator Randolfe Rodrigues (Rede-AP). He was the rapporteur of a Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) of 2013, presented by Senator Cássio Cunha Lima (PSDB-PB), to make the procedure mandatory in the appointment of the head of the Public Ministry of the Union by the President of the Republic. Without moving forward, the PEC ended up being shelved in 2018, due to the end of the legislature.

In 2016, when then-president Michel Temer (MDB) considered choosing someone off the list, Rodrigues reacted harshly and promptly, evoking an ancient tradition and the principle of autonomy of the Public Ministry. “This decision cannot be an exchange of favors and cronies”, he said at the time.

In defense of the PEC to institutionalize the triple list in the Constitution, the senator said that this would be a way to give more security to the Public Ministry and society. For him, this would avoid erroneous manifestations, such as that of the then Minister of Justice of Temer, Alexandre de Moraes, in favor of the choice outside the list.

The opposition is already exploiting the contradiction, with a radical change in Lula’s position on the issue. “The scene game is over! Lula, who criticized Bolsonaro so much for his choice outside the triple list, now says he does not reject the internal election to define the command of the PGR”, said Senator Luís Carlos Heinze (PP-RS).

Thus, according to him, the PT government is giving in this episode yet another proof of electoral embezzlement, as has been seen in its past administrations. According to the Constitution, the attorney general has the function of representing the Union’s interests before the Federal Supreme Court (STF). He also has to oversee law enforcement in all cases under his review.