Lula, Brazil’s House speaker in mutually assured destruction standoff

In a series of twists and turns reminiscent of a telenovela, Congress this week approved a provisional decree that configured President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s cabinet. Lula both won and lost the negotiation: he avoided the expiration of the decree almost at the buzzer, but saw Congress unilaterally changing some of the functions and powers of his cabinet ministers.

Over the past week, cabinet ministers and lawmakers have shuttled back and forth between the lower house and the presidential palace, a stark reminder of how difficult it has been for Lula to form a ruling coalition in a conservative-majority legislature.

House Speaker Arthur Lira sent clear (and hostile) signals to the government, suggesting that the government’s liaison with Congress was led by cabinet minister who are unfit for the job, complaining that the administration was not delivering on its promises, and growing discontent among lawmakers — especially from the group of centrist and rent-seeking parties that make up more than half of the chamber.

Congress had already butchered the provisional decree by stripping Environment Minister Marina Silva of most of her responsibilities in order to appease the agribusiness caucus. Lawmakers also dealt a blow to the Indigenous Peoples Ministry by stripping it of the power to demarcate indigenous land. Without a solid governing coalition, the center-left government simply looked on as its proposal to manage the country’s needs was deformed.

But as the deadline for voting on the bill approached, and the risk that the government would have to return to the same cabinet configuration left by former President Jair Bolsonaro, red flags went up for Lula, who got personally involved in negotiations with lawmakers. The pork barrel pump...