Government changes Petrobras board nominee again amid political disputes.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The federal government has changed another nominee for Petrobras' board of directors amid political disputes over seats at the oil company, raising further fears about a possible delay in changing the company's leadership, several sources told Reuters.

In a relevant fact, the company informed this Wednesday that it received an official letter from the government regarding the replacement of Carlos Eduardo Turchetto Santos by Efrain Pereira da Cruz, professor and member of the National Consumer Defense Council (CNDC) at the Ministry of Justice, as a candidate for the board.

This comes after the company replaced Wagner Victer's nominee earlier this month with Bruno Moretti, the current Special Secretary for Government Analysis at the Presidency of the Republic.

The company also postponed the holding of a general shareholders' meeting, whose agenda may include the election of the board of directors, from April 13 to April 27.

"There's a huge fight, a major brawl over positions on the Board of Directors; they're somehow trying to lessen the influence of the Minister (of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira) and seek more leadership-oriented names with the new administration," one of the sources told Reuters.

"It seems that the political maneuvering is in full swing," said a second source. "It's turned into a tug-of-war between parties, but I don't know who will win."

The changes occurred after people close to the PT, such as the general coordinator of the Unified Federation of Oil Workers (FUP), Deyvid Bacelar, publicly criticized the original nominations, pointing out that some of the names were linked to the previous government of Jair Bolsonaro.

"Names linked to #Bolsonarism, the financial market, and in favor of privatizations, if approved in the new Board of Directors, could pose obstacles to the fulfillment of the #Lula government's program, which includes changes in pricing policy, the distribution system, and an end to #privatizations," Bacelar said in a recent social media post.

Minister Silveira has also been accused of drawing up the list of nominees unilaterally, without prior discussion.

Last week, the president of Petrobras, Jean Paul Prates, stated in a press conference that the list of nominees appointed by the Union (controlling shareholder) included several individuals who form part of the government's political base, including Silveira, and that he himself acted only in a suggestive capacity.

"I am not at all affected by any of these choices; whoever comes will be a member of the board and will be glorified," he said at the time.

In this scenario, proponents of the profound changes promised by the PT government during the election campaign are facing delays in making important decisions.

Prates has been stating that he needs the new board of directors and the new council to take office so that changes can be made to fuel pricing and dividend policies.

Currently, five of the 11 board members were appointed by the Bolsonaro government. The remaining members of the board are four representatives of minority shareholders, the board member representing employees, and Jean Paul Prates.

The names put forward by the Union still need to pass integrity and eligibility tests within the state before being put to a vote in the assembly. There must also be a month between the convocation and the holding of an assembly.

The list of nominees includes Pietro Adamo Sampaio Mendes, nominated for president; Efrain Pereira da Cruz; Vitor Eduardo de Almeida Saback; Eugênio Tiago Chagas Cordeiro e Teixeira; Bruno Moretti; Sérgio Machado Rezende; and Suzana Kahn Ribeiro.

Rosangela Buzanelli, the Petrobras employees' representative on the company's board, has stated that the change in the board is "urgent" in order to initiate strategic changes and support the management of the state-owned company, including a review of fuel pricing policies and privatization processes.

She fears there may not be enough time for the changes to be completed at the assembly. "It's possible, but it requires a lot of goodwill and efficiency," she told Reuters on Wednesday.

Contacted for comment, the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Presidential Palace did not immediately respond. Petrobras stated that the information they had on the matter had been released in a statement earlier.