opposition strategy on line of inquiry

Opposition members in the Joint Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPMI) on January 8 are focused on ensuring their effective performance in a collegiate dominated by the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). Even though they are in the minority and with the main CPMI positions held by parties that support the PT administration, they seek to increase the number of sessions, external missions and requests to call witnesses, documents and breaches of secrecy.

Most of the hundreds of requests presented so far deal with the summons of former Minister of Justice Anderson Torres, requested by the government side, and General Marco Gonçalves Dias, former minister of the Institutional Security Office (GSI) of the Presidency, requested by the opposition. .

The opposition’s strategy gained momentum before the first meeting of the CPMI, dedicated to the election of the commission’s command and the investigation of acts of vandalism in Praça dos Três Poderes, held this Thursday (25). Although the name of the president, Deputy Arthur Maia (União Brasil-BA), was unanimously approved by the 32 titular members and received praise from both sides, the choice of Senator Eliziane Gama (PSD-MA) as rapporteur generated a contestation of the opponents.

The opposition considers that the choice of the senator is partial, as she belongs to the governing group in the collegiate and is associated with the Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, an influential politician in Maranhão, the same state as her, and who is one of the targets of the opposition. Dino is appointed by this group as one of those responsible for the thesis of leniency with the invasions in Brasília. Eliziane’s choice, the result of an agreement that led to the election by acclamation of the CPMI leadership, received contrary votes from most of the opposition, leading some to question her impartiality.

The commission is expected to last six months. Based on the investigations carried out, the final report will be delivered to the judicial authorities. In her first intervention at the CPMI, Eliziane stated that she was willing to “prove that the acts of January 8 were an attempted coup d’état”, anticipating her conviction – which is the narrative of the Lula government – ​​even before the collegiate’s investigations.

During the meeting, Senator Marcos Do Val (Podemos-ES) filed a request for an order against Eliziane Gama’s rapporteur, alleging partiality on her part due to her proximity to Dino. However, the question was not accepted by the then president of the session, Otto Alencar (PSD).

Resources and Strategies

Deputy Felipe Barros (PL-PR) will present an appeal to the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ) for the election of two vice-presidents, following the initiative initially proposed by Senator Esperidião Amin (PP-SC). According to the agreement that approved the single slate, Senator Cid Gomes (PDT-CE) will occupy the vice-presidency.

With no chance of changing the command of the CPMI, opposition parliamentarians are defending the creation of sub-rapporteurs to guarantee actions and lines of investigation. Some of them, such as Deputy André Fernandes (PL-CE), author of the request, and Senator Izalci Lucas (PSDB-DF), are also considering presenting an alternative report, competing to decide which will be the final document of the commission.

Another concern of this group is the limited number of sessions, which would not allow time or opportunity for review and approval of requests. “The meetings will take place on Thursdays so as not to interfere in the legislative activities of the parliamentarians”, proposed President Maia.

Regarding this situation, Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE) stated: “After doing everything to make the CPMI unfeasible, the government tried to occupy it when it became inevitable. For the sake of justice and democracy, the opposition needs to be respected to allow all issues to be clarified, without favoring just one side.”

In response to the opposition’s reaction, the government bench has threatened to extend CPMI investigations to congressmen, including members of the commission itself. In addition, the possibility of a call-up request from former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) has not been ruled out, which the government supporters want to associate with the image of “architect” of acts of vandalism. The CPMI’s next steps on January 8th will be crucial in determining how the investigations will be conducted and whether the opposition will be able to achieve its objectives of clarification and transparency.

Composition of the CPMI of January 8