Politics de Alcolumbre goes to test in the Senate under attack – 02/04/2023 – Politics

The dispute between Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) and Rogério Marinho (PL-RN) for the command of the Senate, on Wednesday (1st), also represented a test by fire for Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), a parliamentarian who accumulated power in recent years and, precisely for this reason, has been the target of attacks by politicians who feel alienated —including members of his own party.

Pacheco —who came to office at the hands of Alcolumbre and who has the senator from Amapá as his main electoral supporter— defeated Marinho, the Bolsonarism candidate, by 49 votes to 32.

In the speech of senators and deputies, the result can be seen both as an unequivocal victory for Alcolumbre, but also as its opposite. That is, a defeat, in the opinion of a smaller group of parliamentarians.

An explanation of how this is possible involves the concentration of power in the hands of the senator from Amapá and the reaction that this has generated.

Alcolumbre, who is 45 years old, presided over the Senate in the 2019-2020 biennium, when he set up a robust internal support network through the distribution among parliamentarians of the billionaire budget allocations from the rapporteur’s amendments.

After having his reelection barred by decision of the STF (Federal Supreme Court), which vetoed the possibility of reappointment to the position within the same legislature, he made Pacheco his successor in February 2021.

Alcolumbre left the highest seat in the Senate and assumed another equally powerful one: the command of the CCJ (Commission of Constitution and Justice), where he should remain in the coming years.

He was also chosen by the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), during the transition phase, to be the interlocutor of União Brasil in the negotiations for the party’s accession to the Planalto Palace.

With that, he sponsored two of the three ministers directed by Lula to the party: Waldez Góes (Integration) and Juscelino Filho (Communication).

That was the last straw for the senator to become the target of an internal rebellion in the party, which is an ideological patchwork quilt forged in the field of the right.

União Brasil was created in February of last year through the merger of DEM (former PFL and with its origins in Arena, the acronym for support of the military regime) and PSL, the small party that became big when it elected Jair Bolsonaro in 2018 .

The cauldron of dissatisfactions thickened in the current dispute for the command of the Senate, when Alcolumbre placed himself once again as the electoral supporter of Rodrigo Pacheco.

Unlike the re-elected president of the Senate, who has a more institutional stance and distances himself from the melee so prized by much of the political world, Alcolumbre is a politician in the classic style, who values ​​direct and warm contact —as shown by photos of Alcolumbre recorded in the moments before the election.

The great concentration of power around a single politician was used as a campaign speech against Pacheco by Marinho and allies, in addition to enemies within the Union. In other words, the thesis was used to exhaustion that re-electing the senator of Minas would further strengthen the power of Alcolumbre, already one of the main candidates to succeed Pacheco himself in 2025.

This argument, recognized even allies of Alcolumbre and Pacheco, reinforced the candidacy of Marinho, who, despite being in the opposition and running for office against the federal machine, managed to gather 40% of the votes in the House.

Hence, conclude the opponents, even with Pacheco’s victory, Alcolumbre comes out as the “big loser” —an expression used privately by two of them—of the Senate election for two reasons.

First, for having made the re-election of the senator for Minas difficult, since the dissidence against Pacheco, for example, had as one of the main leaders Senator Lucas Barreto, from the same PSD, rival of Alcolumbre in Amapá.

Second, because it became clear that there is dissatisfaction in the Senate against its concentration of power not only within the União Brasil, but also outside the party, which will be reflected in the 2025 election (the Senate president’s term is two years) .

The fact is that Pacheco’s political group and members of the government consider that Alcolumbre passed the test by fire and delivered on Wednesday what it promised, including the vote of at least six of the nine members of the Union for Pacheco —Sergio Moro (PR) and Alan Rick (AP) would be among the pro-Marinho (voting is secret).

After Wednesday’s result, the parliamentarian from Amapá even cried inside his office when he met to celebrate with family, friends, advisers and allies, among them Senator Jayme Campos (União-MT).

A Sheet confirmed the information with different sources.

According to these reports, Alcolumbre gave an emotional speech at the office, saying he was wronged by the criticism that he had become a weight for Pacheco’s candidacy. He also highlighted the difference achieved, of 17 votes. He would have also stated that he did what he thought was best for Brazil, since, in his words, a victory for Marinho would represent a setback.

Alcolumbre denies concentration of power and has mentioned in conversations, for example, support for Efraim Filho (PB) for the leadership of the party in the Senate.

When contacted, the senator told the Sheet that the criticisms are an attempt to annul Pacheco’s campaign. “Even opponents recognize that I have some importance in the articulation within Parliament. I was a deputy for three terms, I was a senator, I was president of the House, president of the CCJ, leader”, he said.

“You can’t please everyone, but I have a work recognized in Congress, and that is respected and respectful. I think it was another attempt to annul, to remove an articulator of President Pacheco’s candidacy from the game. The result speaks for itself. “

Alcolumbre says that he was just a voter and Pacheco’s campaigner, whom he considers “the right name at the right time”.

He also denied that his performance is part of any agreement involving the 2025 dispute. “This is an illogical precipitation. My work is day to day. My only intention is to continue working in the Federal Senate on essential guidelines for Brazil and for the my Amapá.”

Alcolumbre’s allies and opponents agree on one thing: there will be more fire tests for the senator.

With Congress returning to its work, the Lula government will seek to approve, among other projects, the restructuring of the Esplanada dos Ministérios, which rose from 23 to 37 portfolios, the new fiscal framework and the tax reform, as well as projects aimed at providing a response institutional to the January 8 coup attacks.

It is expected in the PT and in the government that the União Brasil will be one of the main points of tension in the relationship, since in these votes it can present significant betrayals in the Chamber and in the Senate, despite having three ministries.

Among other points of concern, there is fear of defeat in provisional measures.

Any relevant sign of rebellion in União Brasil will be debited from Alcolumbre’s account.

Some parliamentarians from União Brasil heard by the Sheethowever, they say that the advancement in the distribution of second and third-level positions is benefiting other party leaders, including deputy Elmar Nascimento (BA), who had his move to a ministry vetoed by the PT.

With that, some Union parliamentarians more aligned with the Planalto say that the party will deliver proportionally more votes to the government than MDB and PSD, center-right acronyms that also won three ministries each.

---

X-RAY | David Alcolumbre, 45

Alderman, federal deputy for three terms and elected senator in 2014, he was elevated to the highest post in the Senate at the beginning of the Bolsonaro government. On the occasion, he faced Renan Calheiros (MDB-AL) with the support of Palácio do Planalto. During his term, he built a support network based on his control over the billionaire rapporteur’s amendments. After electing ally Rodrigo Pacheco in 2021, he went on to chair the CCJ, the most important committee in the Senate