Lula promotes “debolsonarization” of the government and delays deliveries

With just over 45 days in office, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) blamed the “disbursement” he has been doing in the Executive for the slow pace in delivering works and implementing policies so far. The exonerations of names appointed by former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) have affected sectors of the Planalto Palace, Federal Highway Police (PRF) and even strategic ministries.

The replacement should also help fill the Workers’ Party coffers. That’s because all affiliates who hold positions must make a contribution to the party that can vary from 2% to 10% of their salaries. But it is not possible to know if how many of the positions will be assumed by affiliates.

In addition, the party must reduce defaults on its staff. This week, the PT sent a letter to its affiliates stating that only those who pay their debts to the party can be nominated for public office.

Since Lula’s inauguration, on January 1, the Executive has dismissed at least 1,200 people from positions of trust appointed in the previous government. According to Lula, many ministries still haven’t managed to assemble their teams, and this would be influencing the work done by the federal government.

“We still haven’t managed to assemble the teams that we have to assemble, because we have to take out hidden Bolsonarists in droves”, justified Lula during an agenda in Bahia. At the beginning of the previous government, of former President Jair Bolsonaro, there were also replacements of officials who were more aligned with the Workers’ Party and its allies.

Military personnel who worked in the GSI were replaced

In recent days, the PT member began a series of trips he intends to make across the states to deliver works and launch social programs. Its objective is to try to create a positive agenda for the government. Lula intended to start his tour of the country in January, but postponed it due to acts of vandalism in Praça dos Três Poderes and due to the paralysis of some sectors of the Executive.

So far, the dismissals have mainly affected military personnel who held positions within the Planalto Palace. By the beginning of February, 150 military personnel who worked in the Institutional Security Office (GSI) had already been dismissed. According to Planalto members, who asked not to have their names revealed, this filter against nominees by the Bolsonaro administration was expanded after the acts of vandalism in Brasília.

Lulistas had already been advocating changes in the structure of the GSI since the transition period, on grounds of mistrust. The sector was responsible for the personal security of the Presidency and also coordinated the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) and bodies of the Brazilian intelligence system. Now, Lula’s security is done by the Federal Police. Abin will remain under the umbrella of the Civil House, commanded by minister Rui Costa.

“We are in a moment of deep screening, because the truth is that the Palace [do Planalto] it was full of Bolsonaristas and soldiers,” said Lula after the acts of vandalism.

At the end of January, Lula appointed another 122 soldiers to work in the GSI. Among them is an Air Force lieutenant who was chosen for the Extraordinary Secretariat for Immediate Security of the President of the Republic. According to members of the government, these new soldiers have Lula’s confidence and will act directly in the security of the Presidency buildings.

Lula government promoted changes in the structure of the PRF

In addition to palace and military advisors, former President Bolsonaro’s filter against appointees affected the structure of the Federal Highway Police (PRF). The institution was also surrounded by distrust on the part of lulistas. The reasons, according to them, were inspection operations carried out in the second round of the elections and an alleged inaction during the blockade of roads after the results of the polls.

Initially, the Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, even nominated police officer Edmar Camata for the position of general director of the PRF. However, Dino had to step back from the nomination after members of the PT made public some of the criticisms made by Camata against Lula in support of Lava Jato.

After this obstacle, the police officer Fernando Antônio de Oliveira was chosen for the position. In addition, the Civil House dismissed 26 of the 27 PRF regional superintendents. Only the superintendent of Piauí was retained by the current management. In addition, an internal ordinance of January 13 vetoed the use of a type of camouflaged uniform by members of the institution.

The “camouflaged tactical” suit was authorized by a Bolsonaro government ordinance last year. The new management, however, buried the item, determining the use of the standard navy blue uniform, except for motorcycle or airborne agents, who have specific clothing due to the nature of their function.

Exonerations provoked paralysis in some sectors of the government

Faced with casualties in various sectors of the government, some ministries have had their activities paralyzed over the last few weeks. The ideological filter delayed the payment of an additional R$150 per child up to six years of age to Bolsa Família beneficiary families.

Technicians from the former Ministry of Citizenship, which was responsible for managing the social program Auxílio Brasil, had been paralyzed since Lula took office. With the change of government, the portfolio was renamed the Ministry of Social Development and is now headed by Minister Wellington Dias.

This Wednesday (15) Lula indicated that he intends to launch the new program, which will once again be called Bolsa Família, after the Carnival holiday. “Next week we are going to announce a new Bolsa Familia of R$600 and another R$150 for each child up to the age of six,” said Lula in Sergipe.

In addition to the Social Development portfolio, the dismissals made by the Civil House had an impact on the work of the Ministry of Mines and Energy during the attacks on transmission towers in January. Without technical staff, Minister Alexandre Silveira initially opted to transfer responsibility for the crisis to the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel).

Bolsonaro government made “depetization” in 2019

Despite this, government supporters minimize the impacts of the dismissals made during the first days of the Lula government. The ideological filter and the vetoes of opponents in the composition of the government, however, are nothing new in the Lula government. In 2019, the then Minister of the Civil House of the Bolsonaro government, Onyx Lorenzoni, promised a “depetization” of the Executive. At the time, layoffs also caused management problems.

“The exchanges are taking place in all ministries, regardless of whether they are military or civil. It is natural that it should happen, because the government that left has little or no harmony with the government that came in. They are totally different thoughts, so we could not live with the same advisors”, defended Rui Costa.