União Brasil cannot be Lula’s base, says leader – 03/17/2023 – Politics

The leader of União Brasil in the Chamber, Elmar Nascimento (BA), says that the party is unable to be an ally base of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in Congress, despite the fact that the Planalto Palace has negotiated more second-level positions step with legend.

União Brasil appointed three ministers to the government: Daniela Carneiro (Tourism), Juscelino Filho (Communication) and Waldez Góes (Integration). Former governor of Amapá, Waldez asked for a leave of absence from the PDT. In addition, the caption should expand space in state-owned companies, such as Codevasf, Dnocs and Sudene.

“[Por causa da] party configuration, it is not convenient [entrar na base]. Imagine, I give you a statement that I am a base. I leave with 20 to 25 deputies contesting me. What will the government gain from this?”, said Elmar.

One of the main representatives of the centrão, Elmar says that, in order to build a base in Congress, the Planalto Palace needs to unlock the release of amendments. “The government needs to dialogue and fulfill its commitments. Mainly to make the Budget flow.”

União Brasil received positions. Still, the party declares itself independent. Why? This is the party configuration. It is public knowledge, including the government, that 90% of the party had not voted for Lula. But the polls forced him to expand the dialogue. Two-thirds of the party are willing to talk to the government, and a third are not. But 60% support, 70% of the party represents much more than other parties that were in the initial composition, such as PC do B, PSB.

How many votes does the bench [de 59 deputados] give to the government? It depends on the agenda. There is an agenda that will get all the votes. There’s a lineup that won’t have any.

No votes, even with that space in government? I don’t believe you’re going to get a vote here if you want to revisit labor reform. Usual agenda, we didn’t move forward in the Bolsonaro government, we’re not going to move forward now.

What does the government ask for in these negotiations, if it is aware that the party does not deliver all the votes? Will the MDB deliver all the votes? No. It will deliver a percentage, which is greater than ours, but, in absolute numbers, we will have more or less the same thing. And the MDB was better contemplated than us. Was the PSD also better contemplated and will it deliver all the votes? Will not.

Why better considered? They have three ministries and we don’t.

How come you don’t have three ministries? Can I consider Waldez as a member of our party?

He was nominated by Senator Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP). [Indicação] David’s staff.

But that enters the party quota. No. It cannot be the government that will say what entered our quota. We are the ones who have to accept it.

And you don’t accept Waldez? I cannot recognize who is not affiliated to the party, because I will be discrediting the affiliates. I have a world of affiliates, 59 deputies and nine senators, and none of them will do, should I look outside the party?

If the government gives one more ministry, does the number of votes increase? We are not going to fight for office.

The political articulation of the government… They might not have given [ministério], no problem. Now, it’s given to one party, it has to be given to others. Bolsonaro did not give ministry to anyone, but he invited three of our affiliates to very important ministries. We were base because of that? No. I want to say that it will not be a position that will do this. It is important to draw people to public policies, how to lead the country in the economy.

But the party fought to keep Juscelino Filho in the ministry. No. I didn’t fight for any minister. I defended him as I would defend any of the 59 people on the party bench. He was an unjustly attacked deputy.

Mr. Do you think there is friendly fire within the government? There’s a lot of evidence. I cannot declare this because I have no proof. But of course it was people internally leaking to want to burn [o ministro]. It was a space that the PT had as theirs. [O PT indicaria Paulo Teixeira para Comunicações]. At the last minute, the government took [para dar à União Brasil].

If the government removes all positions from União Brasil, would you vote with the same 30 deputies? Look, after you give it, take it away, it’s complicated. But the decision was not ours, we did not ask for it.

The government kept an ally of its ally in the presidency of Codevasf. He was my nomination in the Bolsonaro government, today he is actually everyone’s nomination [da bancada da Câmara e Senado].

The Union, in addition, may appoint two of the three directorates of the state-owned company. Doesn’t that help with the relationship with the government? Help.

But do you need more? I never asked for a job and I won’t ask for it.

Will you also have a post office board? That’s the minister [Juscelino que] indicated. She didn’t pass us by, no. The minister is from the Union, but he was not the bench [que indicou].

What else did they offer? To Sudene. The president [da União, Luciano] Bivar indicated. I didn’t have anyone. He is from Pernambuco. Sudene stays there.

Even so, is União Brasil not going to join the ranks? [Por causa da] party configuration, it is not convenient [entrar na base]. Imagine, I give a statement that I am based on. I leave with 20 to 25 deputies contesting me. What will the government gain from this? What am I going to get out of it? I have to respect the peculiarity of the bench, which is mostly from the government, but it is not a difference [grande].

Deputy Arthur Lira warned that the government has no basis. Why? The government needs to dialogue and fulfill its commitments. Mainly to make the Budget flow. [Na negociação de] charge participates in the national summit. But 80% of Congress, which is the lower clergy, wants to know about budget execution. He wants to know about taking the health post, the paving.

What has to be done? Need to give agility [às emendas]. Why does everyone defend the permanence of the president of Codevasf? He started making things work, giving results. Deputies and senators started putting money there. The budget was something like R$ 300 million, today it is R$ 4 billion. Of course, the bigger you are, it’s going to be a lot of trouble. The press does things… like talk about cartel. How do you conduct any type of cartel with electronic trading? It’s open to everyone. The envelope is only opened after the result of who was the winner of the trading session has come out.

But there is also suspicion of overpricing. How is the image of the body and Congress? I haven’t seen any proven allegations so far. A company that manages BRL 4 billion may have some kind of problem at the end, with an asphalt that is not of the quality it should be, but for that there is supervision.

But Congress today has even more amendments than it had with Bolsonaro. What’s the problem? Agility. With the end of the rapporteur’s amendments, half remained in a taxable amendment and half remained in RP2 [recurso para ministérios]. And there was an agreement for the RP2 to continue to be executed as indicated by Congress, but in the programs that the government was pointing out. The more agile he is and manages to make it work, the more he will have a base connection.

During the transition of government, Mr. was considered to be a minister. As far as we know there was a veto from the PT of Bahia to his name. What happened? Throughout my life, I’ve made some mistakes. That was one of them, allowing my name to be put on. If I hadn’t allowed that, we could have had a better management like the MDB and the PSD had.

But what is your assessment of the veto? That turned the page, because I recognize that I made a mistake. And the issue of me being an opponent of the PT in Bahia is public and notorious and will not change because of that.

If mr. is invited to be a minister in a ministerial reform, Mr. I would go? Nor [para a] Civil House. Not Farm. Zero. I have a mission to lead the bench.

What it is? Being mayor? No. My mission is to defend the interests of União Brasil. Is to try the federation [com o PP] and have an even more representative bench.

Mr. Do you trust this government? Look, I think there are a lot of people with good will. And there are a lot of extreme people, with a grudge. If people with good will prevail, the government will succeed. If not, they will foot the bill for it.

Who would be at that extreme? I prefer to talk about the good ones. The Haddad [da Fazenda] is well intentioned. Minister of Political Affairs [Alexandre Padilha] has the worst job that can exist in the world. But he’s trying to get it right.

The PT has been making demands. The party’s president, Gleisi Hoffmann, said that União Brasil has ministries, but is not delivering support to the government. But what was the vote that there was to say that? The last vote we had was the Transition PEC, I was the rapporteur in the Chamber and Senator Davi, in the Senate. If it weren’t for us, it wouldn’t have been approved. If anyone has any credit here, it’s us.

X-RAY

Elmar Nascimento, 52

He has been a federal deputy since 2015. Before that, he was a councilor and state deputy in Bahia. He is a lawyer. Leader of the group of deputies of União Brasil and one of the most influential parliamentarians in Congress, he reported on the Transition PEC and the privatization of Eletrobras.