Rui Costa must sign wife at TCM amid Carnival – 02/08/2023 – Politics

The Legislative Assembly of Bahia must vote next Tuesday (14) on the appointment of the next member of the TCM (Court of Accounts of Municipalities) of Bahia. The favorite candidate for the post is Aline Peixoto, former first lady of the state and wife of the Minister of Civil House, Rui Costa (PT).

The vote should take place in the midst of Carnival. The opening of the party in Salvador takes place on Thursday (16), but there has already been a parade of electric trios on the official Carnival circuits since Sunday (12).

On the same day, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) will travel to relaunch the Minha Casa, Minha Vida program in the city of Santo Amaro (80 km from Salvador).

Registration for the position of counselor will be opened this Wednesday (8) by the Legislative Assembly with a deadline on Friday (10). In order to register, the candidate must have the support of at least 12 deputies.

Minister Rui Costa has acted behind the scenes by nominating his wife for the position, which is for life and has a monthly salary of R$ 41,800.

The initiative that generated discomfort and embarrassment among allies, in addition to criticism from PT voters. One of the opponents of the nomination is Senator Jaques Wagner (PT), who has avoided making public statements on the subject.

The PT bench is also a focus of resistance, since the initial idea was to appoint a state deputy from the federation that includes PV and PC do B to the position. The maneuver would guarantee a seat in the Assembly for state deputy Marcelino Galo (PT) , who failed to be re-elected.

This Friday (10), Rui Costa arrives in Salvador and should participate in a meeting with the PT state deputies with Governor Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT).

The idea is to enshrine the name of Aline Peixoto as the only candidate for the allied base. The former first lady already has the support of state deputies from the PSD and also from the PP, a party that broke with Rui Costa in March 2018 to support ACM Neto (União Brasil), but returned to the allied base last week.

Aline Peixoto is a nurse, she has never run for elected office and for the past eight years she has worked for Voluntárias Sociais, a non-profit organization traditionally led by the first lady of the state.

Also possible candidates are state deputies Fabrício Falcão (PC do B) and Roberto Carlos (PV), in addition to former deputies Marcelo Nilo (Republicans) and Tom Araújo (União Brasil).

Governor Jerônimo Rodrigues stated on the 1st that he should ratify the nomination of Aline Peixoto for the position if this is the decision of the Legislative Assembly.

“It was not Rui’s indication [Costa]. There is no indication of any kinship. If it comes, it is being indicated by the Assembly, and I will treat it with the responsibility that my position requires”

The PT also defended Aline Peixoto’s credentials to assume the post and said that it is necessary to recognize the role of the former first lady as a kind of informal adviser to former governor Rui Costa in the health area.

Only 3 of the 26 states have a specific Municipal Audit Court to analyze the accounts of mayors: Bahia, Goiás and Pará. In the others, this function is carried out by the State Audit Court. Exceptions are the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which have courts linked to their respective city councils.

Minister Rui Costa has already been in favor of the extinction of the Court of Auditors of the Municipalities of Bahia. In 2017, the then governor accused councilors of having “morbid pleasure” in rejecting mayoral bills and pointed out that the agency’s extinction would represent savings of BRL 200 million for the state.

If the appointment of Aline Peixoto to the position is carried out, Rui Costa will be President Lula’s fourth minister who will have his wife occupying a seat in state Courts of Accounts.

In December, Renata Calheiros, wife of Transport Minister Renan Filho (MDB), was elected in December by state deputies as the new counselor of the Court of Auditors of the State of Alagoas.

A month later, federal deputy Rejane Dias, wife of Social Development Minister Wellington Dias (PT), followed the same path and was nominated by the Legislative Assembly for a seat on the Court of Auditors of the State of Piauí.

The Minister of National Integration, Waldez Góes, is another name from the Lula government who has his wife in a Court of Auditors. The appointment of the then First Lady Marília Góes to the position took place in February 2022, when Waldez was still governor of Amapá.