With his role as leader uncertain, Jaques faces a crisis after rejecting Messiah

With his image damaged after being the target of an operation by the PF (Federal Police), Senator Jaques Wagner (PT-BA) has an uncertain position as leader of the Senate government. The wear and tear, however, has been dragging on since the defeat of Jorge Messias for a place in the STF (Supreme Federal Court).

Two months ago, the government leader in the Senate had already been in the spotlight during the vote on the name of the Union's attorney general. The Palácio do Planalto estimated an approval with 45 votes, but what was seen was a historic disapproval, with 42 against and only 34 in favor. One of those mainly responsible for the wrong calculation, the deficiency in articulation and for not having alerted Planalto was precisely the senator.

On the occasion, the PT leader in the Chamber, Pedro Uczai (SC), questioned the permanence of leaders in Congress. Even saying that a "witch hunt" does not solve the problems, the deputy stated that some leaders were experiencing a type of "wear and tear".

"Mapping betrayals doesn't solve anything, it deepens conflicts. It could be a tactic, but the way forward is to rebuild the government's base in the Senate, replace the role of leaders, whether to place other leaders or not. We have to dialogue. Certainly some are already worn out", he said at the time.

In December last year, Jaques' actions had already been questioned and criticized by the Planalto after the vote on the PL on Dosimetry of penalties for those convicted of the acts of January 8th.

While the government took a stance against the proposal, Jaques approved the vote in the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission) with the aim of guaranteeing the analysis of measures on the economic agenda.

At the time, the senator stated that he was not embarrassed by the agreement reached, even without Planalto's approval, and said he was "calm" in the conduct of his leadership.

After the disagreement, the then leader of the government in the Chamber, José Guimarães (PT-CE), admitted that there was "a lack of dialogue" about the analysis of the Dosimetry PL between the then minister Gleisi Hoffmann, of Institutional Relations, and Jaques Wagner.

Uncertain exchange
The electoral scenario weighs on Planalto's reassessment of Jaques's maintenance in office. Planalto wants to take off the senator's image to avoid negative effects on the pre-campaign of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), who is seeking re-election.

In official positions, the PT came to the defense of Jaques and gave a vote of confidence to the parliamentarian, which is a historic figure for the party. Government allies, however, already admit behind the scenes the need for a change in leadership to avoid contaminating Lula's campaign.

On social media, the deputy leader of the government in the Chamber, deputy Rogério Correia (PT-MG), expressed thoughts along these lines. "As an investigator, Jaques Wagner must step aside from government leadership to dedicate himself to his defense, safeguarding the presumption of innocence," said Correia in a publication on X.

In Planalto, the assessment is that Lula should only make a decision after a personal conversation with Jaques and other allies. As CNN showed, the head of the Executive spoke by phone with the senator and ministers about the case. A conversation between the senator and the president is expected in the coming days in Brasília.

In an interview, Jaques indicated that he is not willing to hand over the position. In the view of allies, the resignation of the senator himself would be the best scenario for Lula's campaign, avoiding the risk of damaging his platform in Bahia.

The most popular name currently being considered to replace Jaques is that of senator Camilo Santana (PT-CE). Former Minister of Education and close ally of Lula, the senator will not be a candidate in this year's election and, therefore, would remain in the federal capital during the electoral process.

Analysis: Jaques survives; distrust wins PT | LIVE CNN

Source: CNN