This Wednesday (12), the Senate plenary approved Paulo Gonet’s new mandate as Attorney General of the Republic (PGR), with this, he will remain in office until 2027. The decision was taken through a vote by the Plenary and the Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) of the Senate.
Gonet received 45 votes in favor and 26 against in his reappointment, in a secret vote. In 2023, it had the support of parliamentarians with a conservative profile, being approved by the Senate on that occasion by 65 votes to 11.
Before the vote in the plenary, Gonet had already received the approval of the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ), which in the morning approved his name with 17 votes in favor and 10 against. In the plenary, to be reappointed, he needed to reach an absolute majority, that is, at least 41 votes in favor among the 81 senators. The hearing was marked by a mostly calm tone, although some moments of tension were carried out by senators linked to former president Jair Bolsonaro, critical of the prosecutor’s actions.
Appointed again to the position by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in August, Gonet has held the position of head of the PGR since December 2023, also on recommendation from the current government. He joined the MPF in 1987 and has held various roles throughout his career. Before taking command of the body, he was deputy electoral attorney general, during which time he signed the opinion that led the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) to declare Bolsonaro ineligible in 2023.
During his tenure at PGR, Paulo Gonet led complaints and legal actions against those involved in the 2022 coup d’état attempt, including the former president himself. At the CCJ hearing, he defended the institution’s actions, stating that the Public Ministry “does not present hasty complaints” and that its conduct is “technical and free from political bias”.
