Appointed by President Jair Bolsonaro (no party) to fill the vacancy of former Minister Mauro Aurelio Mello in the Federal Supreme Court (STF), former federal prosecutor André Mendonça remains in the fridge of the legislative game. There is still no date when his candidacy will be evaluated by parliamentarians of the Committee on Constitution and Justice (CCJ), he completes a three-month wait this Wednesday (13).

The delay scenario is underscored by CCJ President Davi Alcolumbre (DEM-AP) ‘s sense of revenge against the chief executive. Frustrated by not getting the executive minister in 2021 as promised by the former captain, the Amapa native began using the commission as a ring to bill the president for not being assigned to the Esplanade.

This question, however, does more than explain the icy scenario in which Mendonza finds himself in the Legislature today, despite the seams and the former AGU’s constant comings and goings to the Senators’ offices to deal with support for the nomination at future hearings.

Analysts and lawmakers often read that the Senate is currently less inclined to serve Bolsonar’s interests. In some ways, this behavior eludes the historic position of the House of Representatives, which is considered more conservative and inclined to deal with the governments on duty.

“It is noteworthy, for example, that the CPI appeared in the Senate. In other cases, the Chamber would be a minefield for him, but today the Chamber is an extension of the government – of course, within the limits proposed by the center. Who manages the government, the budget, in Brazil is Camara. And the Senate, quite surprisingly, is an absolutely difficult place for Bolsonaro, ”says Marcos Verlaine, political analyst at the Inter-Trade Union Department for Parliamentary Consulting (Diap).

According to political scientist Leonardo Barreto, various factors influence the composition of this new relationship scenario. He emphasizes the “opposition coalition” that has made the government’s interests in the House of Representatives unattainable thanks to the chess set up by the Covida Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI), which has caused major damage to Bolsonar’s image in the Senate.

“The Senate’s own agenda was frozen for a long time while Covid continued its consideration of the CPI. The work has been contaminated, ”he summarizes. In the midst of this, various guidelines from Bolsonaro’s booklet found unexpected or even bitter fate in the House of Government.

This is the case of Interim Measure (MP) 1045, dubbed “mini-labor reform”, and one of the items on the neoliberal agenda of Economy Minister Paulo Guedes, which was rejected in a plenary meeting in early September by 47 votes to 27..

Despite the president’s support for Pacheco’s Senate candidacy, the aid is not seen by analysts as support for the path that led the new House president to the post / Alan Santos / PR

Other programs of interest to management crashed at birth. This is exactly what happened with the unpopular interim measure Marco Civil da Internet (MP 1068), which defeated the hostility of parliamentarians of all shades and was ultimately rejected by Pacheco in mid-September.

There were also government proposals that were approved in the House, but lost their rhythm when they entered the Senate. This is the case of Bill (PL) 2159/2021, which weakens environmental licensing and therefore finds opponents among opposition parliamentarians, environmentalists and other civil society professionals.

Quickly approved by the House plenary in May, the proposal reached the Senate in June and had the support of the government and villagers to go directly to the House plenary. However, this momentum was slowed down by Pacheco, who determined the rite of passage more weighted according to the measure currently being evaluated by the commissions for the environment and agriculture.

“The Senate is now a hostile territory for Bolsonaro, although not entirely oppositional. Therefore, I see not a crisis, but a confrontation. It is impossible to deny that the House is today hostile to the President of the Republic, ”reflects Marcos Verlaine of Diap.

“An interesting thermometer for measuring this is the position of Simone Tebet (MDB-MS), a center-right senator who had no ideological opposition to the government and is nowhere close to Bolsonar in anything,” the analyst said.

A strong political character, Senator Simone Tebet (MDB-MS) leads the women’s faction, has expression in the CPI Covid and does not go unnoticed in the collegial forces confrontation scenario / Marcos Oliveira / Agencia Senado

In fact, emedebista was one of those who reacted vigorously to Bolsonaro’s veto last Thursday (7) on a project that provides free distribution of tampons to low-income women and people living on the street.

Presidential vetoes are one of the elements that contribute to the somewhat dry scenario of the current relationship between the government and the Senate. The list of guidelines that have spawned sparks and discomfort between the two parties lately in this regard is extensive and one of the latest movers is the CEO’s scissors on a project that deals with female pads.

“This is yet another sign of his contempt for the human condition,” sacked Tebet (MDB-MS), who heads the women’s bench in the House of Representatives. The President of the Senate said the veto “is a candidate for repeal.”

Lyra X Pacheco

The lower fertility context for the President of the Republic’s Senate initiatives appears to be very different from the scenario under consideration in the House. Drawing a parallel, Leonardo Barreto cites, in addition to the current CPI, the fact that Pacheco did not receive significant support from Bolsonaro for his election in February this year.

“Bolsonaro has more alliances and more commitments with Lira than with Pacheco. While Lyra was an opposition candidate [a Rodrigo Maia] in the House that ultimately defeated Maya, Pacheco was the solution proposed by Alcolumbre, which even received the support of the President of the Republic, but there was not even an opposition candidate. Pacheco feels far less indebted to the government than Lira. “

The more liturgical profile of the Senator from Minas also influences the behavior of the Senate in front of the Planalto Palace. Less adept at untimely reactions, Pacheco’s tone is at odds with the “steam roller” style associated with Lira and the demeanor of Bolsonaro, who, for example, recently experienced an institutional crisis with the judicial system.

Bolsonaro, Pacheco, and Lira have similarities in the economic agenda, but the trio cultivates differences in political profile among themselves / Fabio Rodriguez Pozzebom / Agencia Brasil

As a result of the attacks, the chief executive even filed a petition to impeach Minister Alexandre de Moraes in August, but the onslaught has stopped. The request was formally rejected by Pacheco, who not only provoked opposition from a significant part of the Chamber, but also declared insufficient legal adequacy and the need to maintain independence between the powers.

This episode helped to identify the most serious malaise of the Senate in relation to the atrocities of the head of the republic. “In fact, Pacheco is now in the position of presidential candidate and opposition candidate, which has never happened in the history of the Senate, at least considering that the President of the House of Representatives will have to run against the President of the Republic. “- recalls Barreto.

He notes that Planalto’s candidates are seeking more moderate positions in order to gain greater acceptance among the electorate, and that this path will not be combined with the impeachment of the STF minister.

Regardless, analysts understand that the scenario between the former captain and the Senate does not exactly configure the crisis between the institution and the president. Leonardo Barreto does not consider most senators, for example, to be actors interested in impeachment or anything more daring.

“The Senate is working at a different pace, guided by other interests, but I think that it is not in the interests of the House to create paralysis. I think that it is in their interests to speak out, to contribute, to try to act as a deterrent to Bolsonaro and get recognition for it, but without interest, for example, to paralyze or overthrow the president, ”the political scientist analyzes.

Edition: Vivian Virissimo