In 5 points, see Lula’s setbacks in Congress so far – 06/01/2023 – Politics

The Lula government (PT) has witnessed a series of setbacks with the Legislature since the beginning of the mandate. Elected with a small margin in relation to former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), the petista suffers for the formation of a robust parliamentary base.

The most recent example of defeat is the MP dealing with ministerial restructuring. The text approved on Wednesday by the Chamber and this Thursday (1st) by the Senate, empties powers of the environmental and indigenous areas of the federal government.

The delay in the distribution of positions and parliamentary amendments is one of the reasons for complaints by deputies and senators to the Planalto.

Fueled by the lack of dialogue with ministers and other palace members, some other defeats have already been seen, such as the establishment of CPIs unwanted by the government, and the fall of the decree regulating the Sanitation Framework, edited by the president in April.

See in 5 points some of the setbacks suffered by Lula in his 3rd term in the Presidency of the Republic:

1) Insufficient base even with positions and budget

Even allocating nine parties in the first echelon and several members of the centrão in secretariats, autarchies and other positions in Executive bodies, Lula was unable to create a robust base to approve a bill or a PEC (proposed amendment to the Constitution).

The petista tries to secure votes in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate by releasing amendments. Even so, parliamentarians complain about the delay in releasing the funds, and Arthur Lira (PP-AL), mayor, asks for the management of these transfers, promising better results in the polls.

Legislators also point out an excess of spaces for the PT itself and acronyms that do not necessarily deliver votes in the National Congress, such as União Brasil.

2) Unwanted CPIs

The government was unable to contain the signatures for the opening of a CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) in the Chamber to investigate the MST (Movement of Landless Rural Workers).

Installed on May 17th after a series of invasions by the social movement, the MST’s CPI is considered by the opposition as the one that most distressed Lula, since the landless are historical allies of the PT, in addition to having a majority of parliamentarians linked to the FPA (Agribusiness Parliamentary Front).

Despite managing to secure a majority in its favor, the Planalto also failed to block the creation of the mixed CPI that investigates the facts that occurred in the attacks of January 8, in Brasília.

The proposal for a commission on the 1/8 attacks came from Bolsonaristas themselves, responsible for the coup attacks on the headquarters of the three Powers. The opposition wants to use the commission to attack what they call the federal government’s omissions that day.

The government was forced to support the creation of the body after the release of the Planalto videos on January 8 — an episode that led to the departure of the minister of the GSI (Institutional Security Office), Gonçalves Dias. The CPI was then created on May 25.

3) Sanitation Framework

In April, Lula edited a decree to revise the sanitation framework, sanctioned by Bolsonaro in 2020. The main point of the act was the possibility of direct provision of services by state-owned companies in the states without bidding.

About a month later, the Chamber of Deputies approved a PDL (draft legislative decree) overturning the changes made by the federal government, by 295 to 136, marking the Planalto’s first defeat in a legislative vote.

A Sheet showed that the defeat in the decree exposed the lack of ability of Rui Costa (Casa Civil) and the fragility of Alexandre Padilha (Secretary of Institutional Relations) in maintaining the strategies of political articulation in Congress.

The overthrow of the changes in the framework was also seen as a message to Rui, who managed the proposal, but without agreeing with parliamentarians before.

4) Approved time frame

Another issue where Lula won yet another defeat was the approval of the bill for the time frame in the demarcation of indigenous lands, approved by the Chamber last Tuesday (30) by 283 and 155.

The landmark thesis, defended by the FPA, determines that indigenous lands must be restricted to the area occupied by the peoples on the date of enactment of the Federal Constitution of 1988.

The merit score was lower than the urgency of the proposal, approved last week by 324 votes against 131 – at least 257 votes were needed. Even with the government’s opposition to the text, several base acronyms voted for admissibility or released their benches, as is the case with the PSB.

5) MP from the Esplanade

Edited on the day of Lula’s inauguration, the Provisional Measure for the reorganization of ministries changes the structure of government, increasing the number of portfolios – from 23 in the Bolsonaro government to 37 with the current mandate.

In process since February, the measure is essential to the planning of federal public policies, and is also part of the government’s negotiations with central parties, with the distribution of positions.

In addition to the delay in analyzing the MP due to the conflict between Lira and the President of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), involving the formation of joint committees that evaluate the measures, the government also had its environmental and indigenous policy dehydrated by the rapporteur and leader of the MDB in the Chamber, Isnaldo Bulhões Jr. (AL).

Opposition and centrão deputies also sent messages to the Planalto Palace that there is dissatisfaction and that they could use the MP vote to wall the government. The MP was approved this Thursday in the Senate by 51 to 19 and one abstention. If it were rejected, Bolsonaro’s ministerial structure would return to force, and 14 portfolio holders would lose their jobs.