PGR: PT attacked Bolsonaro by list today rejected by Lula – 03/03/2023 – Politics

The PT criticized then-president Jair Bolsonaro and praised the triple list of the ANPR (National Association of Attorneys of the Republic) when the former representative chose Augusto Aras to head the PGR (Attorney General of the Republic).

The party’s stance differs from that adopted by Lula this Thursday (2), who in an interview with BandNews stated that he does not intend to use the entity’s internal election as a criterion for choosing the future PGR.

In 2019, PT even released a note after Bolsonaro chose Aras to command the PGR, a name that was not on the list.

“The case is yet another example of Bolsonaro’s unpreparedness for the position he occupies, embarrassing a position that for 16 years he filled brilliantly. During their governments, Lula and Dilma [Rousseff] always respected the triple list of the ANPR and, most of the time, they chose the most voted by the prosecutors”, said the PT note at the time.

In the text, the party also cited ANPR’s demonstration at the time that classified Bolsonaro’s disrespect to the triple list as “the biggest democratic and institutional setback of the Federal Public Ministry in 20 years”. On the occasion, he also warned about “possible rigging of the institution that would mortally wound Brazilian democracy”.

This Thursday, in an interview with journalist Reinado Azevedo, Lula indicated that he does not intend to repeat the performance of previous PT governments, when the prosecutors who won the internal election of the category were chosen to head the PGR.

The president said that “he no longer thinks of a triple list” and that, when he was president previously and respected the tradition of the ANPR, he was based on his experience in the union.

“It has already been proven that the triple list does not always solve the problem. So, I will be more careful in choosing the next Attorney General of the Republic”, he declared.

The ANPR must insist on the elaboration of the triple list even after Lula’s statements.

The president of the association of attorneys, Ubiratan Cazetta, said that Lula’s stance was not a surprise, as he had already signaled that he would not assume a commitment to the class during his campaign.

However, he said he requested an audience with the president to address the matter, even before the list was made.

“It’s obviously not an encouragement, but for us it’s not the end of the journey either. The president said he’s going to listen to many people, so we’re going to act as interlocutors to discuss models, not names,” said Cazetta.

The triple list is made by an internal election in the class every two years, organized by the ANPR, to define the members of the category with the greatest support among peers for the position of attorney general.

The three most voted candidates make up a list that is sent to the President of the Republic, who is responsible for indicating the name that is submitted to the Senate. He is not obligated to follow this suggestion and may nominate someone outside the list.

For Cazetta, the list works as an antidote to non-republican choices and brings more transparency to the choice. He also stated that it is necessary to do away with the logic that this is a union or corporatist stance.

“We are facing two models: one that is opaque, in which we do not know who the candidates are, how they present themselves to the President of the Republic, and how they got there; and another in which there is an inherent transparency because people have to come to public to declare themselves candidates”, he said.

He added that, during the process, the candidates have their record of performance in the Public Ministry evaluated by people who have known them for years. In addition to knowing how they deal in times of crisis and in criminal matters, human rights, protection of the environment and indigenous people.

“It’s a much more transparent model,” he said.

The attorney also claims that, if Lula does not choose the next attorney general from the triple list, the act will represent the weakening of the institution’s independence.

“It may be the perfect name, but the model will be imperfect. The way of choosing will always leave a possibility for the next government to make a choice that is not republican, because that is how you do it when you choose who you want to be the PGR” , he stated.

For deputy attorney general Luiza Frischeisen, who intends to run for the vacancy, by saying that she will talk to everyone, Lula will also be able to hear who is on the list.

“If he will receive people outside the list, people who think they can reach the president and present themselves, he can also hear who will participate in it”, he declared.

Sought, the PGR said it would not comment on the matter.

Bolsonaro disrespected the triple list by twice nominating Aras for the PGR. After months of negotiations, he opted for the name that ran outside and that sought to show affinity with his ideas.

Aras was charged for his inaction in the face of suspected irregularities in Bolsonaro’s management, such as in the investigations into interference in command of the Federal Police and the dissemination of fake news.