Brizola should leave the Ministry of Labor.
The Planalto Palace has decided to hand over the head of the Minister of Labor, Brizola Neto, in order to rebuild bridges with the PDT party and solidify Dilma's alliance for reelection in 2014; "the decision rests with the president and it is not for me to comment," Brizola Neto told Reuters on Wednesday, already indicating that he is ready to leave the government.
By Ana Flor
BRASILIA, March 6 (Reuters) - Labor Minister Brizola Neto (PDT) is expected to leave his post next week as part of the ministerial reshuffle that President Dilma Rousseff is beginning to implement to accommodate allies in preparation for the 2014 election campaign, sources from the Presidential Palace and close to the minister told Reuters.
The departure of Brizola Neto, less than a year after taking office, is one of the demands of the PDT leadership for the party to resume supporting the government in Congress. Despite being part of the allied base, the PDT has caused problems by voting against the Planalto's (presidential palace) directives in the legislature.
"The decision rests with the president, and it's not for me to comment," Brizola Neto told Reuters on Wednesday. "But I disagree with the idea that the position of one, two, or three names represents the entire party, especially one as large as the PDT," he stated.
According to sources, PDT leaders are requesting that Brizola Neto be replaced by the party's secretary-general, Manoel Dias. Despite not having the support of the presidential palace, Dias could be accepted as he is considered a figure capable of unifying the majority faction of the party, led by the party president, Carlos Lupi. This group has been trying to secure the position since 2011.
"It saddens me to see some people demanding a position in exchange for political support; that's not in the nature of the PDT," the minister added.
Relations between the Planalto Palace and the PDT have been strained since 2011, when Lupi left the Ministry of Labor following allegations of irregularities.
To make matters worse, Dilma chose a PDT candidate for the position who did not have Lupi's support. The relationship between the current party president and the minister deteriorated even further, and the two are engaged in a political dispute within the party, which will hold elections for its leadership at the end of March.
The presidential palace disliked the PDT's rapprochement with sectors of the PSDB, and especially the PSB, of the governor of Pernambuco, Eduardo Campos, a possible presidential candidate in 2014.
A few weeks ago, President Dilma Rousseff met with Lupi. On that occasion, she stated that she would like to maintain the alliance with the PDT in the 2014 campaign.
Lupi confirmed to Reuters that, in the meeting with Dilma, he complained about the interference of the president's ex-husband, Carlos Araújo, in the party -- the lawyer from Rio Grande do Sul was a congressman for the PDT, from which he resigned, and defends the rise of Brizola Neto's group within the party.
In addition to changing the leadership of the Ministry of Labor, the ministerial reform should expand the space for the PMDB, the PT's main ally in the government, in the Esplanade of Ministries and open space for the PSD, which has become one of the largest blocs in Congress and will join the allied base. These other changes should happen this month, but not necessarily next week, according to sources.