Lula consider Gleisi again for political articulation

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva again considered the possibility of pointing out PT President Gleisi Hoffmann, to the Secretariat of Institutional Relations (SRI) in place of Alexandre Padilha, which should be moved to the Ministry of Health, they told the Reuters Two sources that accompany the conversations.

According to the sources, Lula had left the idea of ​​appointing the federal deputy to lead the government’s political articulation in Congress by hearing from allies that the PT president would have difficulties in the function and would not be an appropriate name for the position, since it has no good relationship with the center.

Gleisi would then be named Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency in place of Márcio Macêdo in Lula’s expected ministerial reform. The president, however, would have again considered the idea of ​​putting Gleisi at SRI, the sources said on Monday.

According to one of the sources, Lula’s justification is that Gleisi is able to show that he has a negotiation capacity and that it is not a “radical”, as it is often accused by opponents.

THE Reuters He sought Gleisi’s staff and the Planalto Palace, but had no response immediately.

One of the president’s closest names today, Gleisi was left out of the ministry in the first two years of government at the request of Lula, who wanted her in the presidency of the PT. Her mandate at the head of the party, however, ends in July, and she would anticipate the departure to go to the ministry.

In principle, Lula had agreed that Gleisi would go to the General Secretariat. The position, although also in the Planalto, has less strategic importance than SRI, as it is responsible for articulation with social movements and other forces of society, and does not negotiate directly with Congress.

According to the sources, the president’s decision from where Gleisi would not yet be taken, but there are strong indications that SRI may be your choice, although it displeases allies and members of the government itself. It is no secret, for example, the difficulty of relationship between Gleisi and Finance Minister Fernando Haddad.

In recent days, Lula has made the decision to change the command of the Ministry of Health. The departure of Nísia Trindade – which can be announced this week, according to one of the sources – precipitated the decision of changes in SRI, as the president He chose to move Padilha, the current holder of the portfolio, for health.

Training physician, Padilha was Minister of Health in Dilma Rousseff’s first term and responsible for organizing the Mais Médicos program, one of the PT showcases.

Several names have been considered to Padilha’s place at SRI, with part of the government’s allies defending a Minister of Centrão to facilitate the relationship with Congress. One of the most commented is the current port and airport minister, Silvio Costa Filho (Republicans), who has a great relationship with the president.

Other names that were cited were from Deputy Isnaldo Bulhões (MDB-AL) and Senator Jaques Wagner (PT-BA), but with the caveats that the former does not have a close relationship with the president and the second prefers to continue in Senate.