Lula Suffers Senate Defeat as Lawmakers Reject His Tribunal Supremo Candidate Jorge Messias

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva suffered a defeat in the Senate after lawmakers rejected the candidate he presented to fill a vacancy at the Tribunal Supremo, a move that “no sucedía desde 1894”.

“Brazilian presidential hopeful Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, is asking the Trump administration to delay proposed tariffs on Brazilian goods until after October’s election, as he tries to counter allegations from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that his family helped bring them about”

Al Jazeera

The vote left Jorge Messias, described as “una figura muy cercana al mandatario,” short of the 41 senators he needed, with the Senate returning 42 votes against and 34 in favor.

Al Jazeera

After the result, opposition of derechas and centro-derecha celebrated with “¡rechazado, rechazado!”, while Messias said he faced “cinco meses de desconstrucción” of his image.

The Caracol Radio account said the secret vote was decided with a 42-to-34 margin a couple of hours after a preliminary commission vote that Messias won by five votes, and it framed the timing as the Legislative taking five months to start the process.

Caracol Radio also reported that Lula’s coalition fragility in the Legislative was exposed ahead of October elections, with Senator Flávio Bolsonaro calling it the “fin” of Lula’s government and Senator Randolfe Rodrigues saying the vote was “presionada por el proceso electoral.”

In Washington, Brazilian presidential hopeful Flavio Bolsonaro urged the Trump administration to postpone proposed tariffs on Brazilian goods until after October’s election, as he sought to counter accusations from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that his family helped bring them about.

Al Jazeera reported that the Trump administration proposed 25 percent tariffs on Brazilian goods in June, citing alleged trade violations including illegal deforestation and what it called unfair electronic payment practices.

ANI News

Bolsonaro denied the allegations and argued the political effect would favor Lula, writing in a submission to the Office of the US Trade Representative that “New US tariffs onBrazilian products would hand the currentBrazilian government precisely the political victory it has been engineering,” as reported by Al Jazeera.

ANI also said Bolsonaro called for an 180-day delay before any final decision, while noting that Washington has until July 15 to decide whether to implement the tariffs.

ANI further reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio replied that US officials continued to have “substantial differences” with Brazil over the issues cited to justify the proposed tariffs, and it cited a Quaest poll showing 47 percent agreeing with Lula’s claim and 35 percent agreeing with Bolsonaro’s.

The tariff dispute is being treated as a campaign issue in Brazil, with Al Jazeera reporting that Bolsonaro has made Brazil’s relationship with the United States a central part of his election campaign as Trump expanded US engagement in Latin America.

“El presidente brasileño, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, sufrió una derrota histórica en una votación en el Senado que lo deja en una situación frágil en el Legislativo a cinco meses de las elecciones”

Caracol Radio

Caracol Radio, meanwhile, tied Brazil’s domestic power struggle to the same election calendar, saying the next chapter would come this Thursday when the Congress National votes on whether to annul Lula’s veto of a law for reduction of penalties approved by the Legislative at the end of 2025.

Caracol Radio also reported that the Senate rejection of Messias adds to the ongoing dispute of power between the Legislative and the Tribunal Supremo since 2023, and it said Edson Fachin recognized the Senate’s prerogative while saying he would await “con serenidad y sentido de responsabilidad institucional” the next steps.

In the tariff fight, Al Jazeera said Bolsonaro’s request to delay the tariffs until after the election was described by Lula as “yet another act of treason against the Fatherland,” while Bolsonaro insisted it would be Lula’s government that benefited if the tariffs were imposed.

Together, the sources depict a tightly linked timeline in which October elections in Brazil loom while US officials weigh the July 15 tariff decision and Brazilian lawmakers prepare votes that could affect the prison time of Jair Bolsonaro, whose son Flavio is urging Washington to wait.