The president's current advisors are considered less close than those from previous terms; First lady is seen by PT members as a “lighthouse”
The first lady, Janja Lula da Silva, has held the position of main advisor for the president's 3rd term Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). He is one of the few people who criticizes and warns about the government's conduct. The function is recognized by the head of the Executive himself, who set up the leadership of his administration with ministers who were not part of his political trajectory and, therefore, do not have the freedom to give “tips to the boss”.
The situation was explained by Lula in his speech at the opening of the 4th National Culture Conference, on Monday (March 8, 2024). “I'm happy especially with Janja's critical side. It's not 'Maria goes with the others'. He is not a 'Nobody'. She makes a point of warning me about bad things. You don't need the good things because I see it in your faces. But bad things, often, even our friends don't have the courage to say. 'Ah, I'm going to say something like that, Lula will be offended, he'll be upset'”, declared.
Watch Lula's statement about Janja (27min34s):
The president said he considered the role played by Janja as “very important”.
“Someone has to tell you about the things that aren’t cool. Someone has to have the courage to pull up their jacket and say: 'No, or you will'. There has to be someone like that and she does that”, he said.
In his first 2 terms (2003-2010), Lula took former PT companions to the Planalto Palace who followed the political path with him. He had names like José Dirceu and Gilberto Carvalho at his side, the latter was known by the nickname “talking cricket”. Friends Luiz Gushiken (1950-2013) and Márcio Thomaz Bastos (1935-2014), both now deceased, were also close and advised him. Everyone was free to treat him informally and “to scold”. They faced occasional outbursts from their boss, but sometimes they made him change his mind.
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Away since he was arrested in the Mensalão and Lava Jato cases, Dirceu returned to circulating in Brasília's political circles and sending messages to the president. Even so, the influence on the decisions of the head of the Executive is much lower than it was in other terms. Carvalho was sidelined from daily life and took over the Secretariat of Solidarity Economy at the Ministry of Labor.
For the 3rd term, Lula preferred “renew the team”. He said shortly after being elected that the “the coach could be old, but the players would need to be young”. The consequence, however, is that none of the closest ministers have the freedom to challenge the president.
O Power360 found that the only one of the current 38 ministers who calls Lula by name and has space to talk about management problems is Luiz Marinho, Labor and Employment. They have known each other since the 1980s, when they worked at the Metalworkers Union of São Bernardo do Campo, in the metropolitan region of São Paulo.
The Presidency's special advisor for International Affairs, Celso Amorim, is one of the few in the current configuration of Planalto who also has the power to influence the boss. He is credited with escalating Lula's rhetoric in the conflicts in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, and in defending the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro. Amorim was chancellor of Brazil in the PT's first two terms.
The leader of the Government in the Senate, Jacques Wagner (PT-BA), is another considered close to Lula and to whom the president listens. He was considered to take on a position in the government, but the PT member preferred that he remain in Congress.
Without interlocutors willing to point out the government's mistakes, the task increasingly falls to Janja. The exaltation of Lula's role as advisor on Monday (8 March) was not the first time. Remember below:
- January 23, 2024 – in an interview with Bahian radio MetropolisLula said that the first lady is like the “lighthouse” of your government. She stated that the sociologist cares about politics and lives the issue “24 hours a day”. Watch the video below (2min49s):
- 19.dec.2024 – Lula and Janja participated together in the live weekly. The PT member stated that the first lady was a “political agent”, who participates in the decisions made by him with hunches and advice. He also stated that she did not need to have an official position to play a role in the government and that both could be seen as “a model”. Watch the video below (3min6s):
TARGET OF CRITICISM
Due to his great influence with the president and alleged interference in the government, Janja is a frequent target of criticism, including from allies of the Chief Executive. It is common to hear from Lula's advisors that the first lady has more power than the Esplanada ministers.
Janja also usually participates in the president's work meetings and is a constant presence on Lula's trips. On June 2, 2023, Lula called the first lady “advisor” when trying to change the papers he was reading during an event at a university in São Bernardo do Campo (SP).
The first lady, however, was absent from 3 important events:
- 7.Jul.2023 – celebration of Lula with Centrão in Alvorada;
- 22.Feb.2024 – happy hour of Lula with deputies, ministers;
- 5.mar.2024 – happy hour of Lula with senators and ministers.
Despite her influence, the first lady has already suffered some defeats. She was against the dismissals of former Sports Minister Ana Moser and former Caixa president Rita Serrano. Both lost their positions to accommodate names nominated by Centrão at a time when the government needed to make room at the top for the political group.
In June 2023, Janja defended himself from criticism. She said that she does not interfere in management and that she only talks to Lula. According to the sociologist, life would be easier if it “were more futile”. He made the statement during a meeting with quilombola women.
“Women have to be more and more in power environments. That's why I'm on President Lula's side. Sometimes they ask me, 'Don't you get in over your head?' I don't get involved. I just talk. It would be easier for me if I were more vain, but I can't. I talk and talk at lunch too, that lunch that everyone asks about”, he said.
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