Candidates for Speaker of the House unite to pressure Maia.
Four candidates for the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies have filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to try to prevent the reelection of the current president of the House, Rodrigo Maia (DEM-RJ). The joint strategy was led by Deputy Júlio Delgado (PSB-MG), who launched his candidacy this Monday, the 30th. Deputies Jovair Arantes (PTB-GO), André Figueiredo (PDT-CE), and Rogério Rosso (PSD-DF) also signed the document. The four allege that Maia's candidacy is unconstitutional because a deputy cannot run for reelection to the presidency of the House in the same legislature. However, Maia's allies maintain that he was elected for a temporary term and that, therefore, his candidacy is legitimate.
Brasilia 247 - Four candidates for the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies have filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to try to prevent the reelection of the current president of the House, Rodrigo Maia (DEM-RJ), to the position. The joint strategy was led by Deputy Júlio Delgado (PSB-MG), who launched his candidacy this Monday, the 30th. Deputies Jovair Arantes (PTB-GO), André Figueiredo (PDT-CE), and Rogério Rosso (PSD-DF) also signed the document. The four argue that Maia's candidacy is unconstitutional because a deputy cannot run for reelection to the presidency of the House in the same legislature. However, Maia's allies maintain that he was elected for a temporary term, and therefore his candidacy is legitimate.
The information is from Reporting by Isadora Peron and Igor Gadelha in the State of São Paulo.
"The union of Maia's opponents, however, goes beyond the legal issue. The four candidates decided to act together to try to take the dispute to a second round. Until last week, the expectation was that the current Speaker of the House would get the necessary votes to be re-elected in the first round."
"We had already said that we weren't concerned about this legal issue. We were focused on campaigning, we toured all 27 states, but we cannot agree with this legal uncertainty," stated Jovair.
Given Maia's strong position as the frontrunner, Delgado decided to put his name forward in the race, even after his party had announced its support for Maia. Rosso was also convinced by members of the former Centrão, a group of parties that gained strength during the presidency of the ousted congressman Eduardo Cunha (PMDB-RJ), to resume his campaign to steal votes from Maia. His party, the PSD, has also declared its support for the reelection of the current Speaker of the House.
By Thursday, new candidates for the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies are expected to emerge. The PSOL party will meet tomorrow to discuss the matter. The PT party, after abandoning the idea of forming an alliance with Maia due to pressure from its base, is also considering launching a candidate, but it is most likely that it will support Figueiredo's candidacy, the only opposition candidate in the running so far.