New minister faces the challenge of advancing the Security PEC and creating a showcase for re-election
Chosen by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to succeed Ricardo Lewandowski, Wellington César Lima e Silva arrives at the Ministry of Justice with the challenge of dealing with the most sensitive area of the government in the year in which the PT member will seek his fourth term. The new minister will face a series of barriers that range from the difficulties of approving the Security PEC in Congress, to the tense relationship between the federal administration and right-wing governors and the complexity of giving prominence to an issue in which the Lula government is still struggling to fit its speech.
One of the main demands on the new minister’s table will be to sew ways to guarantee the approval of the PEC, which gives more power to the federal government in managing public security. In Congress since April last year, the text has undergone changes by the rapporteur, federal deputy Mendonça Filho (União-PE), which displeases the government and puts the continuity of the process at risk.
Lula government announces Wellington Lima e Silva for Ministry of Justice
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Wellington César Lima e Silva was previously appointed to occupy the portfolio, but chose to remain in the Public Ministry
It will be up to Wellington to lead the articulation in search of a consensus, which will necessarily require a movement towards rapprochement with the opposition. Another point of tension is over the Antifaction PL. The text returned to the Chamber after being approved in the Senate with significant changes in relation to the original content and heightened tensions in the relationship between the government and the president of the House, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB).
Within the process, Wellington will need to look for ways to approach governors or at least dilute resistance from state chief executives who fear losing power over the security of their states if the PEC is approved.
The new minister will also be required to present concrete results in the area of public security during the election year. The topic should be used by the opposition as one of the main sources of wear and tear for Lula. Internally, there is no consensus on the best tone to adopt in management and the level at which the issue will be addressed during the electoral dispute. Lula, however, is convinced that he will need to demonstrate the achievements of his management in this area to convince undecided voters and those who suffer from a feeling of insecurity.
Wellington will also need to overcome the tensions between the Ministry of Justice and the Planalto Palace that marked Lewandowski’s tenure at the ministry and were accentuated by the delay in processing the Security PEC at the Civil House. The new minister, however, arrives with an advantage over his predecessor as he had already worked with Rui Costa, — with whom Lewandowski was not close —, during the period in which he was Secretary of Legal Affairs (SAJ), from January 2023 to August 2024. In addition to having already been headed by the Minister of the Civil House, Wellington arrives at the helm of Justice anointed by the government leader in the Senate, Jaques Wagner (PT-BA), one of Lula’s closest allies.
Although he does not have the political stature of Lewandowski, a former minister of the Federal Supreme Court, Wellington has Lula’s sympathy and trust for having “fulfilled his mission” in the position of General Counsel of Petrobras. It was the solution found by Lula to avoid leaving the department without a headache after being surprised by Lewandowski’s abrupt departure.
In August 2024, Wellington left SAJ, at Palácio do Planalto, and went to Rio de Janeiro to take on one of the most strategic positions at the state-owned company at the beginning of Magda Chambriard’s administration. Wellington was chosen to work with Magda and avoid any legal difficulties in the state-owned company, in which the command attracts Lula’s permanent attention. At the time, Planalto assessed that Magda needed to have a name she had complete confidence in in this area to avoid further stress such as that caused by the dismissal of Jean Paul Prates. Magda’s management is praised internally by those closest to Lula.
