Lula calls emergency meeting after government defeats in the House – 05/31/2023 – Power

President Lula (PT) called at the last minute for this Wednesday morning (31) a meeting with the nucleus of the government’s political articulation to discuss the defeats in the Chamber and the MP (provisional measure) that deals with ministerial restructuring.

The Ministers of the Civil House, Rui Costa, of Institutional Relations, Alexandre Padilha, and the leader of the government in the Legislative House, José Guimarães (PT-CE), met with the Chief Executive to discuss the matter.

This Wednesday (31), the government will try once again to approve the provisional measure. The MP would be analyzed this Tuesday (30), but ended up being postponed in a setback to the plans of the Planalto Palace, which has until Thursday night (1st) to approve the proposal in the plenary of the Chamber and later in the Senate. .

The movement against the MP vote has the support of centrão leaders, but also includes members of parties close to Lula, such as Solidariedade. The political temperature, however, indicates that Lula and Planalto organizers will need a strong reaction to avoid the government’s biggest defeat so far.

In this MP, Congress disfigured a series of attributions linked especially to environmental and indigenous issues. Members of the government, however, claim that it could already be considered a “victory” if the text approved by the Chamber is the same as the one considered by the mixed committee.

The original MP was edited by Lula right at the beginning of the government with the new organization of the Esplanada. It was she who expanded, for example, the number of ministries from 23 to the current 37. If the provisional measure is rejected, the structure of the ministries would return to that of the previous administration, by Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

The rapporteur for the provisional measure and leader of the MDB in the Chamber, federal deputy Isnaldo Bulhões Jr. (AL), dehydrated the government’s environmental policy — competences of bodies that are currently with the Environment and Indigenous Peoples will be transferred to other portfolios.

He also empowered ministries with centrão parties, which will have more functions under his purview. Marina Silva (Rede), holder of the Environment, is the one who loses the most attributions, while fighting an internal dispute over the exploration of the mouth of the Amazon River by Petrobras.

Marina will lose some information systems on basic sanitation, solid waste and water resources to the Ministry of Cities. He will also no longer command the ANA (National Water Agency), moved to Regional Development, and the CAR (Rural Environmental Registry), transferred to the Ministry of Management.

Opposition and centrão deputies sent messages to the Planalto Palace that there is dissatisfaction and that they can use the MP vote to wall the government. They mainly complain about the delay in releasing amendments, in addition to the slowness in appointments to regional positions.

According to reports from allies, since last week the mayor has been sending the message to Planalto that the MP runs the risk of not being voted on and losing effect if the government insists on trying to change devices already approved in the commission.