Senator Vital do Rêgo threatens Dilma's ambitions in the Senate.
A member of parliament is considering running for Sarney's seat as President of the House in order to thwart the candidacy of the Minister of Mines and Energy, Edison Lobo – a protégé of the president.
247 – President Dilma Rousseff's declared desire to appoint the Minister of Mines and Energy, Edison Lobão, as president of the Senate in 2013 has aggravated the crisis with the PMDB. Dilma wants to prevent the party leader, Senator Renan Calheiros (AL), from being an option to succeed José Sarney (PMDB-AP) starting in February.
The presidential palace sees Calheiros as an obstacle to changing old political practices in the relationship between the Executive and Legislative branches. For the same reason, according to Globo, the president has expressed opposition to the candidacy of the PMDB leader, Congressman Henrique Eduardo Alves (RN).
PMDB leaders reacted negatively to this maneuver. Furthermore, Senator Vital do Rêgo from Paraíba rebelled against President Dilma Rousseff's strategy. Vital threatens to compete for the position with Lobão. This dispute would be enough to make the minister's candidacy unviable. "And note that Vital do Rêgo is from the group of the government leader in the Senate, Eduardo Braga (PMDB-AM), recently chosen by Dilma," recalled Época magazine this week.
The PMDB leadership has already warned its interlocutors: direct interference from them in this process has the potential to transform the current rebellion into a deeper crisis by the end of the year.