Lula meets with Lyra after the MP talks about the lack of a base in the palace

Marianne Olanda, Victoria Azevedo and Taisa Oliveira
Brazil D.F

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) met with the President of the Chamber of Deputies Arthur Lira (PP-AL) this Thursday evening (9). The meeting took place three days after the MP said that the PT candidate did not have the votes in Congress to approve the economic reforms.

The dinner was scheduled at the last minute and took place outside the agenda of the authorities at the home of minister Paulo Pimenta (Secom) in Lago Norte, a noble meeting in Brazil.

Besides Pimenta, ministers Rui Costa (Casa Civil) and Alexander Padilha (Secretary of Institutional Relations) also participated. Also present in the chamber was Prime Minister Jose Guimarez (PT-CE).

The event started around 8 pm. Shortly before 11 p.m., Lula, Guimaraes and Padilla left the venue separately.

Lira told Sao Paulo businessmen last Monday (6) that Lula needed time to stabilize internally, organize a parliamentary base and find a way to implement his economic agendas in Congress. He attended a meeting of the Political and Social Council of the Trade Association of São Paulo.

The Speaker of the House also said that the PA was elected democratically, but by a narrow margin, and that the government does not have the support in the legislature or to pass laws with a simple majority, let alone to advance constitutional matters, because: it is the case of tax reforms.

“We have a government that was elected by a narrow margin and that must understand that we have an independent Central Bank, regulatory agencies, a State-Owned Companies Act and a Congress with broader mandates,” Lira said, noting that Lula. will have trouble reviewing any of these topics.

So far, the PT has the support of 223 parliamentarians belonging to allied parties, less than half of the total number of deputies in the House of Representatives. 102 deputies belong to the opposition, and 188 declare themselves independent, among them the União deputies of Brazil, which nominated three names for Lula’s cabinet.

In doing so, members of the government avoid predicting the size of their support base in the National Congress and work to attract signatures and MPs.

As the Folha de S. Paulo report showed, building a base involves negotiations with a group of parliamentarians from parties that are not officially allied, mostly from the center.

According to reports, there is a potential parallel pro-PA group consisting of about 70 MPs and 10 senators.

Earlier this Thursday, Congressional Chief of Staff Senator Randolph Rodriguez (R) told reporters he agreed with Lira’s statement that the federal executive still lacks a unified base.

“There was a basic test in the Senate. We have consolidated our base of 49, I think we can reach 55 senators. Not in the palace. There was great agreement on President Lira [na eleição em fevereiro]. So, now we have to go one step further, strengthen the base in the palace,” he said.