Lula signals changes in ministry after MP from Esplanada – 06/01/2023 – Power

In the midst of the impasse to approve the provisional measure that restructures the Esplanada dos Ministérios, President Lula (PT) entered the field to try to save the proposal, spoke with deputies and opened room for changes in the ministry.

After speaking in the morning with the president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), Lula received the leader of União Brasil, Elmar Nascimento (BA) for a meeting.

Although it has three government ministries, the party —which has 59 deputies— threatened to vote to overthrow the MP.

The president, then, called Elmar for a conversation and said, according to reports, that the deputy could indicate new names to replace the current indications of União Brasil in the portfolios he occupies: National Integration, Tourism and Communications.

The deputy would have said that he was not there to deal with positions, but to try to resolve the imbroglio with the Chamber. At the time, Elmar complained about the delay in releasing positions and amendments, specific state issues and also the treatment given by ministers to parliamentarians.

According to the congressman’s report to allies, Lula said that starting this Thursday (1st) a new phase in the government’s political articulation would be inaugurated; that the Planalto would work to speed up the demands of parliamentarians and the relationship would be different.

Earlier, Lula spoke with Lira on the phone. In the phone call, the president of the Chamber reported a feeling of generalized dissatisfaction in the House with the government. Lula said he would solve the obstacles.

Allies of both suggested that they could meet this Wednesday afternoon (30) as they considered that the dialogue should take place without intermediaries.

According to the rapporteur, Lula decided not to ask Lira out on a date to avoid giving the image that he had a “knife in his neck”. That is, that the MP would only be approved if it received and met the demands of the mayor.

Elmar Nascimento’s trip to the Planalto Palace, however, was arranged with Lira, with whom the deputy is close.

Lula also asked the team to speed up the demands related to positions and amendments, the target of complaints.

Lira, in turn, told allies that he would give in and act to approve the government’s interest measure as a last vote of confidence that the political articulation will change.

For leaders of centrão and allied base parties, it will be inevitable for the president to make changes in the first and second echelons of his government, even after the provisional measure is approved.

The change in position of some party leaders, such as Hugo Motta (PB), of the Republicans, is an indication for centrão members that Lula may have shown signs of composition.

Until early this Wednesday morning, Motta was in favor of overturning the provisional measure. In the afternoon, he changed his mind in a movement followed by most of the party leaders.

Members of the centrão say that Lula should include more members of the PP, PL and Republicans in the government. Although the three parties supported the re-election of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), there are wings of these parties that, in practice, align themselves with Lula.

House cardinals claim that the composition of the government favors Senate nominees. Therefore, the tendency is for deputies to increase the pressure for more space in the administration, giving more power even to parties that declare themselves independent from the Planalto Palace.

A ministerial reform, according to members of the government, is not yet in Lula’s plans, who has just completed five months in office.

Allies and even deputies from parties such as PP, PL, PSD and União Brasil, however, say that the President of the Republic ended up pressured by the Chamber during the MP vote and that the way for him to consolidate a good relationship with the House will be to make room for changes to the Esplanade.

This week Lula faced the most unstable period in his articulation with the Parliament and was on the verge of suffering a crushing defeat, which would force the return of the ministerial structure of Jair Bolsonaro (PL). That would mean the end of some ministries like Transport, Indigenous Peoples and Racial Equality.

Over the past few days, the President of the Republic has heard from deputies complaints about the delay in releasing parliamentary amendments and also extra funds, which belong to the budget of the ministries.

Complaints also include difficulties in securing political nominees for government positions and the treatment given by ministers to congressmen, with difficulty in getting meetings.

The Ministers Rui Costa (Casa Civil), Flávio Dino (Justice), Marina Silva (Environment) and Sônia Guajajara (Indigenous Peoples) were the target of specific criticism.