MDB, PSD and União Brasil already indicate fewer votes for Lula – 03/27/2023 – Politics

Although they received ministries and positions in the second echelon of government, members of the MDB, PSD and União Brasil summits say that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) has the support of only two thirds of the votes of these benches in the Chamber.

There has not yet been a vote of high interest from the Planalto Palace in the House.

But party leaders say the government currently has around 30 votes for the MDB and 30 for the PSD, which each have 42 deputies. União Brasil, which has 59 seats in the Chamber, calculates an average of 30 to 35 votes in favor of the government.

In economic votes, such as the tax reform and the new fiscal framework, the votes of these three parties should approach the totality of each group, when the proposal starts to be analyzed by Congress.

Therefore, to try to contain changes in government projects and to avoid political defeats, such as the opening of a CPI, for example, the Planalto Palace needs to consolidate its base.

Leaders of União Brasil and PSD, although they appointed three ministers each, claim to have only two of these top-ranking positions.

The PSD considers that Carlos Fávaro (Agriculture and Livestock) is in Lula’s personal quota, as he was one of the first political representatives of agribusiness to join the PT presidential campaign last year.

On the eve of the ministry’s announcement, Lula’s interlocutors tried to link Fávaro, who was a senator, to a party choice. The strategy was to leave the PSD with two portfolios – one from the Chamber and one from the Senate.

The PSD endorsed Fávaro’s nomination. But, for the benches in Congress, the party nominated two ministers.

In the Chamber, PSD deputies chose André de Paula (Fisheries) and criticize the portfolio’s low relevance. Alexandre Silveira (Minas e Energia) has been a choice more associated with the president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), than with the group of senators of the acronym.

In União Brasil, leaders do not recognize Waldez Góes (National Integration) as part of the party’s quota.

The minister is a former governor of Amapá, was from the PDT and took leave to hold the position. In addition, Góes is considered the personal recommendation of Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP), former president of the Senate and one of the most influential in the House.

The other names of the party are Daniela Carneiro (Tourism) and Juscelino Filho (Communications). Both are members of the Chamber.

Due to the fragmentation of the group of deputies from União Brasil, their appointments did not have the expected political effect.

One wing of the party sees Daniela as a choice for Lula, who got close to her husband, the mayor of Belford Roxo, Waguinho, during the campaign. In the case of Juscelino, his name is linked to the mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL).

Still in search of the loyalty of deputies, the government cannot do without votes and, therefore, will try to expand the base with the release of amendments.

The first step will be to release resources to pay off amendments negotiated during the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), and were indicated by deputies and senators.

There are about R$ 11 billion in rapporteur amendments –used as a bargaining chip in political negotiations in the past government– and which have not yet been paid. This means, for example, that the work contract was signed but the development was not completed, as the amendment is paid when the service is completed.

“We are going to release R$ 3 billion in resources from parliamentary amendments to help in the reconstruction of about 3,000 Brazilian municipalities. These resources will help in the resumption of works and in the implementation of several projects throughout the country”, he informed this Friday (24 ), on a social network, Minister Alexandre Padilha (Institutional Relations), responsible for political articulation.

The government hopes to improve relations with Congress with the first payments. But the government’s strategy is that, every quarter, R$ 3 billion is released to settle the amendments left over from the Bolsonaro administration.

The biggest demand from Congress, however, is about the negotiations of the amendments foreseen in the 2023 Budget, that is, new ones.

Party leaders say that, for the purpose of relations with the government, the amendments are more effective than the distribution of positions.

However, in retail negotiations, the Planalto Palace has tried to reconcile requests from acronym parliamentarians who already have ministries, such as the MDB, PSD and Union, in addition to members of the PP, Republicans and PL.

Interlocutors from the Planalto Palace affirm that there is still time for President Lula to build a solid base, especially in the Chamber, where the scenario has been one of greater resistance.