Raquel Lyra seeks to circumvent the dissatisfaction of deputies in PE – 02/11/2023 – Power

The governor of Pernambuco, Raquel Lyra (PSDB), seeks to consolidate an allied base in the Legislative Assembly amidst controversial episodes at the beginning of the government. In addition to clashes with the PSB, which left power after 16 years, dismissals provoked reactions from allies and opponents.

With the minority opposition in the Legislative Assembly, the government’s challenge is to attract deputies from parties that are in a position of independence. In exchange, parliamentarians expect nods from the government with positions in the public machine.

With three elected deputies, the PSDB managed to place the new president of the House, state deputy Álvaro Porto. He is in his third term and is known for his open dialogue with different members of the House. He was unanimously elected by 49 parliamentarians.

The government considers that the new president of Alepe could help in the formation of Raquel’s allied base, even though the election of Álvaro Porto was the result of his movement, without interference from the Palácio do Campo das Princesas.

On the other hand, Porto told deputies that he does not want an Assembly subservient to the government and that, if it is necessary to defend the Legislative Power, he will have clashes with the Executive.

In addition to the PSDB, the other bench that is closed with Raquel is the PP. Together, the two parties have 11 deputies. There are signs in parts of other benches about the possibility of joining the government, mainly with the demand of the parliamentarians to take resources to the electoral strongholds.

The PL bench, Bolsonarist, is in the independent block of the House. Members of the party of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) argued, in internal meetings, that the position would leave the party free to position itself according to the voting agenda. They assess that Raquel would not be fully aligned with the Bolsonarist agenda, but she is not seen as an opponent either.

The government still counts at least six votes on the PSB bench, defeated at the polls in 2022. Deputies who supported Raquel in the second round, after Danilo Cabral lost in the first round, are expected in the allied base.

Solidariedade, led in the state by former federal deputy Marília Arraes, will remain independent. A wing of the party does not want to oppose Raquel and is dissatisfied with the former candidate for governor who was defeated in the second round due to the way the party was conducted during the election campaign, in the distribution of resources.

With 7 deputies, the PT, PC do B and PV federation will have a position of independence from the government.

In the opposition, in addition to PSOL, practically half of the PSB bench should remain. The expectation of the hard core of the party is that at least 6 of the 13 deputies on the bench are in the opposition.

In União Brasil, the group linked to the former mayor of Petrolina Miguel Coelho, who supported Raquel in the second round after being defeated in the dispute for the government, and the wing linked to federal deputy Luciano Bivar, president of the party, will remain independent.

The governor even asked Miguel Coelho to nominate a medium-sized secretary in the government, but the former mayor’s political group did not see expressiveness in the suggested portfolios and chose not to make an appointment.

In addition to internal splits in the parties, Raquel Lyra will have to overcome the dissatisfactions of state deputies in order to consolidate the allied base.

The governor opted for technical names in setting up the secretariat, without consulting state deputies. Of the 27 chosen, 14 are men and 13 are women.

As for their profile, six of the portfolio holders have already held positions in the Prefecture of Caruaru, the city that Raquel governed between January 2017 and March 2022. Three others had participation in previous PSB governments.

The PSDB, PP and deputies allied to the government of other parties now expect spaces in the second echelon, which was not completely filled by the government.

The exception in the secretariat is former deputy Daniel Coelho (Citizenship), now Secretary of Tourism. He was unable to be re-elected to the Chamber in 2022 and is trying to make his new folder a showcase for running for Mayor of Recife next year.

Allies of Daniel Coelho say that the choice for the portfolio was a strategy, because in Tourism he can deliver short-term actions that can help him in a possible clash with the mayor of the capital, João Campos (PSB), who will seek re-election.

The name of Daniel Coelho, however, is not a fait accompli in Raquel Lyra’s group. Another name quoted is that of vice-governor Priscila Krause (Citizenship). There was an expectation that Priscila could combine the position with a secretary, which did not happen.

The government’s first controversy was also related to positions. In the first week of her term, Raquel Lyra dismissed state employees in commissioned positions or paid positions and revoked remote work and licenses, except for essential health and education services. Then, there was a retreat, and the governor left school managers in charge, due to the proximity of the return to school.

In the administrative reform, the new government increased the number of commissioned servants by 2.1%, causing an impact of R$ 25 million on public coffers. According to state management, the cost will be absorbed by the promised cost containment plan, of R$ 150 million, in 2023.

“Thus, the matter does not represent a fiscal impact. The increase is only 0.07% of state revenue”, claimed the government, in a note, at the time.

Elected with criticism of alleged family practices by the PSB, Raquel appointed cousins ​​to the State Attorney General’s Office and to an executive secretary at the Economic Development Secretariat, as shown by the Sheet.

In the financial sphere, the tucana administration has emphasized the discourse that it found the state with accounts impaired by actions of the previous government. The former management of Paulo Câmara, who left the PSB after almost nine years as an affiliate, defends himself and says that the data have been analyzed out of context.