Understand what is at stake for Lula with the vote on the ‘MP of the Ministries’

This Wednesday (31st) is the deadline for Congress to approve Provisional Measure (MP) 1.154/23, which restructures the organization of Lula’s ministries.

The MP issued on the first day of the government increased the number of portfolios from 23 (under Bolsonaro’s administration) to 32 under the PT regime.

A provisional measure is a legal act in Brazil through which the President of Brazil can, “in important and urgent cases”, enact laws effective for a maximum of 60 days without approval by the National Congress.

The provisional measure may be renewed once for an additional 60 days, after which it will cease to be in force unless the National Congress has approved it and made it law.

The MP expires on June 1st, next Thursday, and if the measure is not approved in the House and Senate by then, the ministerial structure will return to the model of the previous administration.

The negotiations for the approval of the MP have strained the government’s relationship with at least three portfolios: Environment, managed by Minister Marina Silva, Indigenous Peoples, led by Minister Sônia Guajajara, and Agrarian Development, led by Minister Paulo Teixeira.

The MP should have been voted on last Tuesday (30), but had its vote postponed to today, even after the government gave up on changing the text approved by a mixed congressional commission last week.

Last week’s report removed Marina Silva’s control of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), the National Water Agency (ANA) and the national water resources policy, defined by the agency. The commission also overthrew the prerogative of the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara, to decide on the demarcation of new lands.

The Minister of Agrarian Development, Paulo Teixeira, lost part of his attributions, such as the crop-plan, which will return to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.

Irritated, Marina Silva said that the changes made with the government’s support represent a “dismantling of environmental policies” and harm the country.

Guajajara said that the indigenous people managed, after more than 500 years, to be represented in the government, but complained that her portfolio became the target of attacks.

Facing difficulties of articulation in Congress, early Wednesday (31), Lula called an emergency meeting with ministers Rui Costa (Civil House), Alexandre Padilha (Institutional Relations), and the government leader in the House, José Guimarães (PT-CE).

The three have been targets of criticism in Congress.

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