A wing of the PT is working to prevent the choice of senator Camilo Santana (PT-CE) for the Civil House in President Lula's next term.
The parliamentarian, who entered the list of candidates for the position after gaining prominence in the electoral campaign, has been criticized internally for his leadership of the party in the Senate, especially after presenting an amendment to reduce the age of criminal responsibility.
When contacted by Folha, Camilo, who is also a former governor of Ceará, did not comment.
Camilo and the re-elected governor of Piauí, Rafael Fonteles, entered the front line of Lula's electoral campaign after criticizing the PT's coordination and communication in the first round.
The friendly fire in the PT, which also affected Fonteles in discussions about the Ministry of Finance, began, in Camilo's case, after Lula's turnaround. The argument used is that he would have a stance considered truculent in leading the party in the Senate. He took up the post in July, after leaving the Ministry of Education.
For this sector of the PT, the former minister leads the bench according to his guidelines, without internal deliberation and could do the same in one of the most important departments in the government, responsible for coordination between different areas of the administration.
The peak of discontent with him was the presentation of an amendment to reduce the age of criminal responsibility, as part of the vote on the PEC (Proposed Amendment to the Constitution) for Public Security. The topic was discussed between the first and second rounds of the presidential election.
The PEC is considered crucial for the Palácio do Planalto as it gives federal competence in the fight against organized crime and was made a condition for the creation of the Ministry of Public Security, Lula's campaign promise.
Bolsonarists in the Senate, however, used the PEC to pressure the president before the second round. The opposition leader, Rogério Marinho (PL-RN), presented an amendment to reduce the age of majority to 14 years old in some cases.
The Bolsonaro supporters' idea was to wear Lula down in public opinion, as the PT is historically opposed to the reduction.
To shield the president from criticism, Camilo then presented an amendment to lower the age to 16 in cases of formally heinous crimes (such as feminicide, robbery with a firearm, rape or genocide).
The proposal caused confusion in the PT, only stopping after the senator explained that he had Lula's approval to present it. Criticism of the lack of internal dialogue with the bench remained and, later, Planalto guided the vote on the PEC without reducing the age of majority.
The president defended in an interview with TV Globo the reduction of the age of majority in the terms presented by Camilo's amendment, but presented as a caveat the fact that the discussion took place together with the proposed constitutional amendment.
Internal opposition to the former minister intensified again when the PEC was actually voted on, after the victory of the PT member. Even after the need to shield Lula had passed, the senator insisted on maintaining the amendment, even making it difficult, in the assessment of a significant part of the PT, to approve the proposal.
Now, the party's Youth and Combating Racism secretariats will take alternative proposals to reducing the age of majority to the party's National Directory meeting this Friday (13). The idea is that security proposals include social and racial perspectives.
Some of the theses to be addressed will be possible revisions of what is considered a heinous crime or increases in penalties for certain crimes committed by minors under 18, but without reducing the age of majority.
In addition to the Civil House, Camilo Santana is tipped to return to command of Education. He is one of the few senators who must maintain his position on the Esplanada. As Folha showed, Lula must remove trusted allies from the ministries and leave them in the Legislature, where the government will face a strong Bolsonaro base.
Avoiding Camilo in the Civil House, however, does not indicate the PT's willingness to hand over the portfolio to another party. The party wants to maintain this and other ministries considered of interest to the government and the party, such as the SRI (Secretariat of Institutional Relations) and the ministries of Health, Agrarian Development, Social Development and Education.
