The Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino, announced to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, this Friday (19), that he will leave the government. The decision was made after a new ultimatum of the minister’s party, the União Brasil, which gave 24 hours so that affiliates would exemption from positions or functions in the federal government. The determination was issued on Thursday (18), in another movement of the party that reinforces its removal from the base of support of the federal government.
In a conversation of more than an hour with Lula at Alvorada’s palace, Sabino explained his party’s decision, said he would like to fulfill some more agendas as minister in the coming days and would deliver his resignation after the return of the President of New York next Thursday (25). Lula travels this weekend to the United States to Participate in the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN)where it will make the inaugural discourse between the heads of state.
Sabino, who is a federal deputy of União Brasil for the state of Pará, has been since July 2023 in office. He was one of Lula’s assistants most directly involved in organizing the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, COP30, which will be held in Belém. The minister had been negotiating with the party summit to continue in office, but eventually gave in to pressure.
The requirement of the National Executive of União Brasil for their affiliates to leave positions in the Lula administration surfaced after the report of reports that point to an alleged connection between the party’s national president, Antonio Rueda, and the criminal organization First Command of the Capital (CCP). Rueda and the party deny the accusations. In a statement, União Brasil leaders even implied the government itself in revelations, as the case is determined by the Federal Police (PF), which has independent functional action.
The Minister of Institutional Relations, Gleisi Hoffmann, reacted and criticized the acronym in a post on social networks.
“I repudiate the unfounded and light accusations made in a statement issued today by the Union Party Directorate. The party management has every right to decide the departure of its members who exercise positions in the federal government. What cannot be falsely attributing to the government’s responsibility for publications that associate party leader with crime investigations. This is not true,” Gleisi wrote in his X account.
