Lula 3 completes 100 days under charge for speed and brand – 04/09/2023 – Power

The Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) government completes one hundred days under criticism from allies, who complain about obstacles to launching projects and the lack of a new brand for the PT’s third term.

Until then, point out ministers and parliamentarians who support Lula, the government recycled old programs and was the scene of clashes between members of the ministerial team, who publicly disagreed about the launch of government proposals.

Assistants to the president claim that the government’s slogan is “Union and Reconstruction”, which justifies the relaunch of initiatives from previous administrations, such as Minha Casa, Minha Vida and Bolsa Família, resumed in place of Auxílio Brasil, and that they have returned turbocharged.

They claim that there has been a setback in the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government and that hunger has increased in the country.

These collaborators of Lula say that the last few months were spent “getting the house in order” and that new projects will be launched after the 100 days. According to members of the core government, this Monday (10), for example, Lula will have a meeting with ministers in which he will reinforce what has already been announced, but nothing new should be presented.

Parliamentarians and even ministers, however, point to an excessive delay in putting the federal machine to work. The complaint is that there are still vacant positions to fill and that little money has been disbursed. This delay is pointed out by members of the National Congress as an element of the government’s difficulty in forming a support base.

Despite the justification about the lack of a new brand with the idea that the government’s slogan is reconstruction, Lula himself has expressed anxiety. Last week, he demanded that ministers be quick in delivering projects, as well as widely publicizing the programs during execution.

The very centralization of decisions by the President and the Minister of the Civil House, Rui Costa (PT), is pointed out as one of the factors that generate delay in the execution of tasks in the government.

On more than one occasion, Lula made a point of publicly reinforcing that all government policies must be endorsed by him and the Civil House. In one of them, the president said it was important that no minister announce “genius” without the approval of the Planalto.

“It is important that no minister or minister publicly announces any public policy without having been agreed with the Civil House, which is who manages to make the proposal come from the government,” he said at a ministerial meeting on March 14.

The statements were given as a form of reprimand by the president to his assistants. In recent months, for example, there have already been at least two cases of relevant portfolio heads who announced programs that were not launched and, worse, disallowed by the president.

The Minister of Ports and Airports, Márcio França, even disclosed the government’s intention to close an agreement with airlines to sell tickets at R$ 200 each way to retirees, students and civil servants, on March 13. After the episode, both the Minister of the Civil House and Lula disavowed França.

The Minister of Labor, Carlos Lupi, announced, in turn, a reduction in the interest rate on payroll loans granted to retirees and had to back off.

Members of the Planalto Palace believe that this type of attitude generates unnecessary noise between the government and the market and the National Congress, doing little to help governance.

The fact that the ministry is composed mostly of former governors and potential candidates for elected office in 2026 is also pointed out as a source of internal disquiet.

Of the total of 37 ministers, 8 have held the position of governor. Government officials point out that they were used to having the final word on the decisions they made. Now, however, they need to wait for approval from the Civil House.

This generates, in the assessment of Lula’s allies, anxiety in ministerial heads for not seeing their programs go forward as quickly as they wish.

Lula’s ministry houses at least four potential presidential candidates for 2026: Rui Costa (Casa Civil), Geraldo Alckmin (Industry and Commerce), Simone Tebet (Planning) and Fernando Haddad (Finance) are considered pre-candidates since last year’s campaign .

Costa and Haddad, holders of the two main portfolios of the government, have already starred in at least two moments of conflict in these first hundred days. One of them was the result of disagreements over the fuel exemption policy.

In the first phase, in January, Rui Costa emerged victorious and managed to hold back the increase in gasoline and ethanol for 60 days. On the second, in February, Haddad had a partial victory, managing to guarantee taxation on fuel.

Afterwards, both fell out again, this time about the fiscal framework. Haddad did not show the proposal in advance to the Minister of the Civil House, claiming, behind the scenes, fear of leakage. Then Rui Costa asked for time to analyze the project.

The annoyance was so evident in the government that the two had to hold a meeting and publicize it to show that they had sealed the peace.

Differences between Rui Costa and Haddad are treated as historical differences between the so-called political and economic wings, however aggravated by the fact that they are potential presidential candidates.

If he himself does not run for re-election in 2026, Lula will define the name to be endorsed — and, until then, allies fear new clashes for protagonism.

Members of the government and Congress complain about the delay in appointments. The process to formalize a contract is analyzed by the Civil House, Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency) and also by the SRI (Secretary of Institutional Relations).

The analyzes are about the legal, criminal, professional and also political background of the person. This procedure, especially that of political background, ends up lengthening the process.

Lula himself asked for caution in appointments and wants to prevent staunch supporters of Jair Bolsonaro from occupying positions considered key in the government. But, without the nominations, Bolsonaristas persist accommodated on the Esplanada.

In Congress, the projection is also of difficulties. Today, mainly in the Chamber, the government does not have its own base and is towed by allies of the President of the House, Arthur Lira (PP-AL).

As of the second half of April, Planalto will try to approve the new fiscal framework, presented by Haddad, in Congress.

The project, although praised by the financial market, faces resistance from Lula’s own party, which should explain a division in the left field regarding the measure. The tendency is for it to be approved because it will be reported by an ally of Lira, which means that it will have a large majority, but that the final text to be approved will not be exactly what the government sent.