Zanin seeks opposition to reduce rejection in voting

Appointed by President Luís Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to the Federal Supreme Court (STF), lawyer Cristiano Zanin is already circulating through the corridors of the Federal Senate after opposition parliamentarians, according to Senate sources who asked not to be identified. Behind the scenes, taking Zanin to office is already taken for granted by government supporters.

The report tried to contact Cristiano Zanin by phone since Tuesday (6), but he did not return calls.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s lawyer seeks to smooth over the relationship with the opposition to reduce resistance at the time of the vote, scheduled to take place until the 21st of June. Senate interlocutors report that he would have called parliamentarians to arrange meetings and conversations.

According to an opposition source in the Senate, the climate is one of amenities and the nomination should pass without major difficulties. Questioned whether the opposition would take legal action, another source says that there is no climate in the Senate for any action against Lula’s lawyer.

fear of the Supreme

Part of the opposition’s acceptance of Zanin’s name for the Supreme Court comes up against two facts: the first is that the Senate, in the 125 years of the STF’s existence, has only rejected five nominations from the president. They all took place in 1894, during the government of Marshal Floriano Peixoto.

The second fact is that, because it is widely accepted by the Supreme Court, Zanin also has broad support from Court ministers in dialogue with parliamentarians. The possibility of a lawsuit in case the nomination is barred is also evaluated in the corridors of the Upper House.

According to another source heard by the report, any attempt at judicialization would fail in the STF.

On Monday (5), federal judge Rolando Valcir Spanholo, of the 21st Court of Justice in the Federal District, rejected a request submitted by federal deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) against Zanin’s appointment to the STF.

According to the magistrate, “there is no way to endorse the version that the appointment of someone close to a President of the Republic will necessarily result in undue benefit of the respective ruler and/or that, by itself, this will constitute a deviation from purpose”.

Zanin met with evangelicals

The rapprochement with opposition senators follows in the wake of a meeting held with a group of evangelical parliamentarians this Tuesday (6). On the occasion, he expressed his opinion on abortion.

According to a source who was at the event, the lawyer claimed to be against the expansion of new abortion possibilities in Brazil. On the other hand, he defended the maintenance of the cases already foreseen in the Penal Code and said that it is up to Congress to debate and modify the theme.

The tone of the meeting would have been one of tranquility. Zanin explained to deputies and evangelical leaders his background as a lawyer, claiming to be Catholic and come from a traditional family.