On Friday (06/01), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said that the government must maintain a good relationship with Congress and unity to put an end to quarrels. According to analysts, probably a reference to institutional disputes seen during the last government, which brought moments of instability, particularly between the Executive and the Judiciary. Lula’s statement was also based on his need of political support in the Congress, which has a large opposition to him.
Legislative
During the speech, Lula highlighted the importance of a good relationship with the Legislative. The new President stressed that the relationship with the Legislative “will be the most important” he has ever had. And he stated that he will not leave ministers ‘in the middle of the road’, but whoever does something wrong will be asked to leave.
He said he was proud of having put together a team of politicians in the ministries and that it would be useless to have a government made up of qualified technicians, but not getting votes in Congress. In another moment, Lula was more specific and mentioned the importance of Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) and of the Chamber of Deputies President Arthur Lira (PP-AL), by saying that it is the government that needs Lira and Pacheco, not the other way around. He completed by telling his ministers that is how they are going to govern during these four years. He also rejected pure ideological measures.
Ministerial Meeting
Lula made the statements during a speech at the opening of the first ministerial meeting of his third term as president. According to the office of the Planalto Palace, all 37 ministers participated in the meeting. The meeting, which started in the morning, ended in the middle of the afternoon.
Support from Pacheco
On Friday (06/01), Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) made compliments to Lula’s speech. He said that the President demonstrated “experience” and “capacity to unite” when speaking at the first meeting with his new government ministers. He also highlighted that Congress will work for harmony between the powers.
Rejection
The analysis of profiles, legislative acts, declarations and social networks of the 513 federal deputies and 81 senators who will form the new National Congress shows that practically half reject the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) government, according to a study carried out by the Pros foundation (Republican Party of the Social Order).
The study is yet another indication of the new government’s difficulty in forming a solid support base as of February, when the Congressmen take office.
According to experts, a comfortable base is considered a support that exceeds 60% of the deputies and senators, which is the minimum number of votes necessary for changes in the Constitution.
