O STF (Supreme Federal Court) hopes that the first year of the future administration of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) will be marked by fewer attacks from the executive branch on the judiciary and, above all, more active dialogue between Planalto and the court, two points that have influenced relationship with the President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) for the last four years.
On the other hand, Lula’s interlocutors believe that the PT will seek to maintain an institutional dialogue with the Supreme Court – and, they hope, more restraint on the part of the court in dealing with political issues.
Interlocation. PT has taken steps to strengthen the bridges for the coming months.
Except meeting with ministers this weekLula appointed Senator Randolph Rodriguez (Rede-AP), Senator-elect Flavio Dino (PSB-MA), and Treasury Attorney Jorge Rodrigo Messias, also known as “Bessias”, to serve as messengers in courtroom conversations.
“We have to put things in their place,” the senator said. “We want to get everything back to normal. Leave the Supreme Court with the bare minimum of services and give politics a place for politics.”
PEC. In recent days, the group has reached out to ministers of the courts to discuss topics related to the transition – the main one, the PEC (Proposal to Amend the Constitution), which seeks to make room in the state treasury for campaign promises.
The need for dialogue includes not only government directives that can be challenged in court, but also the opportunity to make two directives that PT will present to the STF during 2023.
According to allies and people who followed the conversation, the PT avoided mentioning sensitive issues such as the secret budget and the timing of the delimitation of indigenous lands. Instead, Lula chose to talk about general issues such as health, education, and the environment.
During a meeting with ministers, Lula praised the decisions made by the Supreme Court during the pandemic and assured that he would give the court a technical name with a “good curriculum”.
According to the person who followed the conversation, Lula did not ask the ministers for anything, preferring a nod to the dialogue before taking office. The atmosphere of the meeting was recognized as positive and organizational.
Minister Diaz Toffoli, the only one who commented on the meeting, albeit briefly, described the conversation as “very peaceful”.
President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva meets with STF ministers in court in Brasilia
Image: Nelson Jr./SCO/STF
Ministry of Justice. Inside the Supreme Court, it is believed that another bridge of dialogue with the court should come from the name chosen to occupy the Department of Justice, which has authority over the Federal Police, and therefore it would be natural to speak with the Supreme.
One of the names mentioned is that of the elected Senator Flavio Dino (PSB-MA), who is doing well in the Supreme Court and the high courts of Brasilia.
Dino was part of PT’s entourage during visits to the STF and TSE ministers this week and has had conversations with members of the high courts in recent days.
past waters. According to Lula’s interlocutors, with whom he consulted UOLPT hopes to maintain a “period of independence and harmony” with the judiciary at the start of its term.
It should be recalled that PT has always maintained a position of respect for the STF, even during the discovery and trial of Mensalão or even in the Lava Jato cases.
“There is no place for vengeful behavior here. He is looking ahead,” he told reporters. UOL a person close to the president-elect.
On the other hand, the future government expects the Supreme Court to be more restrained when discussing actions involving political issues. Allies also say Lula will try to speak to all members of the court, including Bolsonaro’s appointees, when necessary.
Observe and then decide. According to Wallace Corbo, professor of law at the FGV (Fundação Getúlio Vargas) Rio and specialist in constitutional law, the Supreme Court tends in the first year of a new government to take a position of watching the political game before making a decision.
“Even in the first year of Bolsonaro’s rule, despite the friction that came from the government, the Supreme and his presidents at various times tried to reduce tensions and seek some kind of compromise with the government that would not generate friction and instability,” he explained.
According to Corbo, the history of relations between Lula’s government and the Supreme Court was “republican” during the first two terms of the PT. However, the new composition and role of the court in the political game will require the president-elect to take a different view of the STP.
“You need to think of the Supreme Court as this strategic agent of the government, where issues that the government might have difficulty moving forward in the Legislative Assembly can end up being brought before the Federal Supreme Court,” Corbeau said.
Since Lula’s departure from the presidency, the Supreme Court has taken on an increasingly important role in political, economic, and social matters. Wallace Corbo, Professor of Law at FGV-Rio
The presidency of Rosa Weber, according to Corbeau, can contribute to this dialogue. The reticent minister has avoided bringing controversial topics to court since taking office in September.
“The trend is for the Supreme Court to be more restrained. The Supreme Court, whose agenda is designed to ensure democratic normality, and this helps not in the sense of reducing the leading role, but in the sense of removing the Supreme Court from the center of the controversy. “, he points out.
