Jaques Wagner: Gleisi and Lewandowski will not head Justice – 12/14/2023 – Power

The government leader in the Senate, Jaques Wagner (PT-BA), ruled out the appointment of the retired minister of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), Ricardo Lewandowski, to the Ministry of Justice after the departure of Flávio Dino (PSB) from the department.

The senator signaled that President Lula (PT) has not yet decided who he will appoint to command the ministry, but said he knows who will not be minister: Lewandowski, the president of the PT, Gleisi Hoffmann, in addition to himself.

“I can tell anyone I know that it won’t be [ministro]: neither Lewandowski, nor Jaques Wagner, nor Gleisi”, said the senator this Wednesday (13).

Lewandowski was one of the main candidates for the Ministry of Justice and Public Security after Dino’s departure and was approached by Lula’s interlocutors, but he signaled to people close to him that he was not interested in the role.

Wagner had already dismissed speculation surrounding his name for the ministry, saying he had the option of joining the top tier after Lula’s victory. He preferred, however, to lead the government in the Senate and continue as a parliamentarian.

As shown by SheetHoffmann also told interlocutors that he should remain at the head of the party during next year’s elections — eliminating speculation about moving to some position at this time.

In addition to having Lula’s trust, Gleisi’s name had gained strength behind the scenes for representing the appointment of a woman to a major ministry — which has structures such as the Federal Police under its umbrella.

Lula suffered criticism not only for dismissing the former president of Caixa Econômica Federal Rita Serrano and former ministers Ana Moser and Daniela Carneiro (Sports and Tourism, respectively), but also for not nominating a woman for Rosa Weber’s seat in the Supreme Court.

In the search for a woman for Justice, the name of the Minister of Planning, Simone Tebet (MDB), was also mentioned behind the scenes. People close to Lula claim that the president has given up looking for a woman for the position.

After Dino’s appointment, the president also returned to polling allies about the possibility of splitting up the ministry and creating a structure just for Public Security. Despite conversations, this hypothesis is now considered remote.

Wagner defended to journalists that Dino, approved by the Senate for the STF this Wednesday, leaves the Ministry of Justice in the next few days — even though his inauguration at the court should only take place next year.

“In my opinion it makes no sense [Dino] stay longer than until the weekend [no Ministério da Justiça]. O [Ricardo] Capelli [número dois]inevitably, if the president has not made the choice, he will take over on an interim basis”, he said after the result.

Dino indicated that he would like to take office at the STF later this year. The president of the court, minister Luís Roberto Barroso, wants it to be only after carnival, in mid-February.