Lula faces climate from allies after defining reform – 09/07/2023 – Power

The ministerial reform announced by Lula (PT) on Wednesday night (6) prompted direct and indirect criticism from allies and led ministers to go out into the field to try to minimize complaints due to the fact that the president had fired yet another woman and reassigned a first-time supporter to accommodate parties from the center that were with Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

The “climate” could be seen in the parade on September 7th at the Esplanada dos Ministérios, which was attended by several ministers.

The balance of exchanges to try to attract Republicans and PP preserved the PT, the president’s party, and had minister Ana Moser (Sports) fired and replaced by a man.

With this, Lula loses the record of women in the first echelon, so boasted during the government transition. In the beginning, there were 11 out of 37 folders. Now, there are 9 out of 38. The highest level until then was that of Dilma Rousseff (PT), who had 10 out of 37 ministries.

Furthermore, Márcio França (PSB), head of Ports and Airports, was transferred to the new Ministry of Micro and Small Businesses. He resisted the idea because he found the new folder too small. He defended boosting the ministry, which Planalto ended up accepting.

The PSB, however, expresses behind the scenes its dissatisfaction and that it is being harmed despite having been an early ally.

André Fufuca (PP-MA) will assume the Ministry of Sport and Silvio Costa Filho (Republicanos-PE), the Ministry of Ports and Airports.

There is the expectation that the PP will also receive command of Caixa Econômica Federal. This exchange must be made official in a second moment. The current president of Caixa, Rita Serrano, was nominated by PT staff.

The biggest risk taken by the PT in the first echelon was in relation to the Ministry of Social Development, headed by Wellington Dias.

The PP made an offensive to take over the portfolio and, at a certain point, the conversations even involved a possible slicing of the ministry. In this scenario, the centrão could appoint the minister, but Bolsa Família would be removed from the structure to remain under the tutelage of a PT member.

The PT reacted and the Planalto retreated. The assessment was that the folder was very central to the government. While Dias suffered a frying process, first lady Rosângela da Silva, known as Janja, went so far as to say that Social Development was the “heart of government”.

There are another 11 PT members on the Esplanada.

Despite the ministerial rearrangement, the degree of support that the PP and Republicans will give to the government in Congress is still uncertain.

The PP is chaired by one of Lula’s main critics at the moment, the senator and former Bolsonaro minister Ciro Nogueira (PI).

The Republicans reaffirmed in a note this Thursday (7) what their leaders had already been saying before, that Costa Filho’s nomination is a “personal” choice by Lula and that the party remains independent in relation to the government.

Linked to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, the party was strongly linked to Bolsonaro and to this day maintains in its ranks, for example, the Bolsonaro senators Hamilton Mourão (RS), Damares Alves (DF) and Cleitinho (MG).

The acronym also houses the governor and former Bolsonaro minister Tarcísio de Freitas, tipped to be Lula’s opponent in the 2026 election.

Having been relocated to provide shelter for the Republicans, minister Márcio França spoke about this after the September 7th parade, when he was relatively distant from Lula and his other government colleagues.

He said that the post he made on social media —”I salute @LulaOficial for bringing Gov @tarcisiogdf and his party to support us”— was not an irony, but a call to the governor’s responsibility for now his party being from basis of the Lula government.

After being fired, Ana Moser publicly cited her “sadness and consternation” at losing her position, having received support from athletes, sports organizations and even Janja.

“I’m not happy either,” wrote the first lady on social media, commenting on a user’s post lamenting Ana Moser’s departure.

The now former minister had no political connections. She is a former volleyball player and Olympic medalist. In addition, she has a history of dedication to management projects and public policies in the area. Her nomination had the support of NGOs, athletes and also sports confederations.

She was part of a group of athletes who during the campaign worked for the election of the PT. During the transition, she participated in the theme’s working group.

Lula’s ministers sought to minimize dissatisfaction with the attempt to attract Republicans and PP, which is essential for Lula to have a comfortable margin of support in Congress.

Alexandre Padilha (Institutional Relations) said this Thursday that the ministerial reform to open space in the Lula government for the center is a form of “valuing politics”.

Padilha minimized Lula’s absence in the photo that officialized the entry of André Fufuca and Silvio Costa Filho into the government.

He and Minister Paulo Pimenta (Social Communication) also denied discomfort with the ministerial changes and the fact that Ana Moser was not mentioned in the Presidency’s note that communicated the changes.

Padilha also relativized the fact that PP and Republicans continue to say that they are independent of the government despite having assumed ministries in the Esplanada. He stated that the appointments should improve relations with party groups in the Chamber.

The minister did not comment on the active participation of parties in the Bolsonaro government, whose coup preaching the current administration tends to highlight. He preferred to say that both parties criticized the acts of vandalism on January 8 by Bolsonaro supporters.

“The commitment we had is that what the bench has already been guaranteeing is the approval of fundamental projects, allowing the resumption of economic growth, the recreation of social programs and the rejection of the coup of January 8th to continue,” he said.

Padilha also stated that Lula personally thanked Ana Moser for her participation in the government, despite the fact that the official government note that announced the exchange did not include a topic to that effect.

He also said that the “great manifestation of affection, affection and commitment” is that the new minister, appointed by the center, will follow the public sports policy promised by Lula in the campaign and during the beginning of the government.

“The last period in which attempts were made to criminalize or devalue politics led to the January 8th coup adventure. So, this outcome values ​​politics”, he added.

Pimenta, in turn, avoided responding about any discomfort created with Ana Moser and Márcio França.