Lula will expand Codevasf with positions for give and take – 03/16/2023 – Politics

The Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) government will expand Codevasf (Development Company of the São Francisco and Parnaíba Valleys) and create new positions in the body to be filled by political appointments.

The plan is to activate the state’s superintendence in Paraíba, which would be the 13th in the country. Currently, it functions only as a technical support office, commanded by a career server. According to members of the government, this arm will be larger than other superintendencies that are already in operation.

Codevasf was delivered by then-president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) to the centrão and is maintained that way by Lula in exchange for support in Congress, in the so-called give-and-take. Precarious, paralyzed and overpriced works are being investigated by the Federal Police.

Codevasf has already approved the creation of two new superintendencies, one in Paraíba and one in Ceará. Now there is only one act left by the federal government – ​​the secretariat responsible for state-owned companies– for the opening of positions to take effect.

According to members of the government, there is still no idea of ​​opening the office in Ceará. For now, the forecast is to create the superintendence of Paraíba and try to reach an agreement to contemplate parliamentarians from a wing of the União Brasil and also from the Republicans – which flirts with the Planalto Palace.

The state-owned company under Bolsonaro expanded its focus and its area of ​​operation – all without planning and with poor control of expenses. It changed its historic vocation of promoting irrigation projects in the semi-arid region to become a state-owned delivery company for paving works and machinery even in metropolitan regions.

At the same time, it became one of the main instruments for disposing of the record amount of amendments, distributed to deputies and senators based on political criteria and which support the government in Congress.

In the case of União Brasil, the government’s idea is to benefit Efraim Filho (PB) in Codevasf — he leads the party in the Senate. In addition, Deputy Hugo Motta (PB) would also have asked to make nominations to the company’s command in the state. Motta is leader of the Republicans in the House, which has a bench of 42 deputies.

Despite the fact that the party declared independence from the Planalto Palace, the leader of the acronym has been meeting, since the beginning of the government, with Minister Alexandre Padilha (Secretary of Institutional Relations), responsible for political articulation.

Although the Republicans are not at the base of the government, Lula makes an effort to attract deputies from the party to garner more votes on matters considered important. Lawmakers estimate that Republicans can deliver up to 25 votes.

The party’s president, Marcos Pereira (SP), however, told the Sheet that only 15 parliamentarians would agree to join the Lula administration. He recognizes, however, that on certain agendas, the entire bench can vote in favor of what is sent by the Planalto, such as, for example, the administrative reform and the fiscal framework.

The government is still negotiating changes in the commands of other superintendencies. Appointed by Deputy Aluísio Mendes (Republicanos-MA) in the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) administration, the current head of the state-owned company in Maranhão, Celso Dias, said goodbye to the team this Wednesday (15).

One of the options is for Senator Weverton (PDT-MA) to appoint the next superintendent in the state.

The government also exonerated the lawyer Juliana e Silva Nogueira Lima, sister of the president of the PP, senator Ciro Nogueira (PI), from a position of adviser to Codevasf, with a salary of around R$ 20 thousand. Nogueira is yet to lose an ally who now holds the position of director at the federal state-owned company.

A Sheet showed on Tuesday (14) that the government intends to expand the space of União Brasil in the Codevasf summit. The party, according to the agreement struck with parliamentarians, is nominated for the presidency of the body and two of the three directorates of the state-owned company – the mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), takes the third.

The presidency of Codevasf will continue with Marcelo Andrade Moreira Pinto – appointed by deputy Elmar Nascimento (BA), leader of União Brasil in the Chamber.

In addition to Codevasf, political negotiations involve positions at Dnocs (National Department of Works Against Droughts).

Fernando Marcondes de Araújo Leão continues as chairman of the body. He was appointed during the Bolsonaro administration and was appointed by deputy Luis Tibé (Avante-MG), who is one of Lira’s closest associates.

Dnocs has three directorates: Administrative, Water Infrastructure and Technological Development and Production. These positions will be divided between União Brasil, which should have two, and PT, which may nominate one.

The tendency is for the PT’s choice to include the leader of the government in the Chamber, José Guimarães (CE), and other allies of Ceará, as Dnocs’ headquarters are in Fortaleza (CE).

Both Dnocs and Codevasf are important for politicians because they carry out works considered strategic in the states. This makes them coveted for the potential it gives parliamentarians to capitalize on voters.

Dnocs has almost R$ 900 million budgeted for this year.

Codevasf already has R$ 1.8 billion in funds in 2023. It was inflated by resources from parliamentary amendments in the Bolsonaro government. The previous management also expanded the allocation of positions in the body, which will be maintained by Lula as a way to achieve governance.

Last year, the Sheet revealed evidence of fraud in the state-owned company, which was the target of an operation by the Federal Police.

Last Sunday (11) the Sheet showed that the Lula government signed contracts worth around BRL 650 million inherited from Bolsonaro, which led to the current administration a series of contractors and conduct suspected of cartel practice in paving works at Codevasf.

Codevasf states that “the auction system does not provide any bidder —not even the auctioneer— with the possibility of identifying competing companies; only after the closing of the bidding stage are the participants of the bidding process identified”. The company also claims to collaborate with inspection and control bodies.