1 Thursday afternoon, General Fernando Azevedo e Silva entered the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and ascended to the fifth floor of the building attached to the Court’s headquarters. He entered Rosa Weber’s office, where he was warmly welcomed by the Minister. They talked behind closed doors.
On his way to the office, before meeting with the minister, the general told UOL reporter Paulo Roberto Netto: “This is not a meeting, just a courtesy visit. I came to congratulate you on your inauguration.” On the 12th, Rosa Weber will take over as chairman of the STF, replacing Luiz Fux.
The court’s press office did not say what the minister talked to the general. Although this is a courtesy visit, the courtesy of the Armed Forces leadership is currently very welcome in the Judiciary. The support of the military became a major asset in the selection process.
On the one hand, President Jair Bolsonaro attacks the reliability of electronic voting machines and criticizes the TSE (Supreme Electoral Court) and STF ministers. On the other hand, the judiciary wants to be in the same team as the army. In the assessment of Supreme Court sources, an alliance with the Armed Forces could add more credibility to the electoral process, especially for Bolsonaro’s allies.
Among STF ministers there are those with and without dialogue with the military. Rosa Weber is in the second group. Therefore, Azevedo’s visit could mean building a bridge between the barracks and the High Command on the eve of the elections.
A wing of STF ministers intensified dialogue with the military this year. Dias Toffoli, Ricardo Lewandowski, Alexandre de Moraes and Luiz Fux are in this group. These ministers say in private conversations that they are not worried about a coup attempt during the elections. According to them, the Armed Forces would not participate in such a movement. On the contrary, they will strive to prevent an institutional break in order to strengthen democracy.
On the other hand, there is concern about a coup attempt among STC ministers, who do not have much contact with the military. The fear is that, depending on the outcome of the election, there will be demonstrations to occupy the STF, TSE and National Congress buildings – a repeat of the protests seen in the US after the defeat of Donald Trump. Surveys.
The Minister of Defense, General Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, was an important interlocutor for Fux. Now the person who speaks the most with the general is Moraes, the current head of TSE. General Santos Cruz, former Chief Minister of Government Secretariat, and General Sérgio Etchegoyen, former Minister of Institutional Security, are also speaking to Court ministers.
Fernando de Azevedo e Silva is in good dialogue with Dias Toffoli, who was the minister’s special adviser when he was head of the STF. With the Bolsonaro government, the general took over the Ministry of Defense. He left the post and at the beginning of the year Moraes invited him to become the general secretary of TSE. Even the general agreed, but later backed out, citing personal issues. He now rehearses a new approach to Judgment by paying a courtesy visit to Rosa Weber.
Recently, there have been frictions between the Armed Forces and TSE. Last year, the military submitted questions to the Electoral Court about the reliability of the electoral system. Luís Roberto Barroso, STF minister and former head of the TSE, said the Armed Forces were encouraged to attack the electoral process.
source: Noticias
