The crisis at Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) has opened a debate over who will succeed Justice Edson Fachin as the court's president. According to Folha de S.Paulo, justices are already weighing whether to break a 57-year tradition under which the presidency rotates by seniority.
The election is scheduled for August 2027. By tradition, the next in line would be Alexandre de Moraes for the presidency and Kassio Nunes Marques for the vice presidency. Folha reports that both are under scrutiny in the Master bank case over alleged ties to former banker Daniel Vorcaro.
Secret ballot
The court's internal election is usually a formality, but the ballot is secret, and justices from rival factions do not rule out surprises. A justice close to Nunes Marques told the newspaper he would not feel comfortable voting for Moraes as the next president if the election were held today. An ally of Moraes said he would not vote for Nunes Marques for vice. Both said the vote is still far off and that the investigations must run their course.
The Master case is already moving through the court. On Thursday, Justice Flávio Dino ordered the Federal Police to investigate alleged failures by securities regulator CVM in the case, with a first report due within 60 days, according to G1. Nunes Marques also handles former president Jair Bolsonaro's bid to overturn his conviction for the coup plot after the 2022 election; Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and three months, InfoMoney reports.
February in the Senate
Justices expect a turning point in February, when the Congress elected in October picks the Senate's leadership. The Senate president decides whether impeachment requests against justices move forward. Presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) told Folha he trusts his party can elect a Senate president aligned with the push to impeach court members. The current Senate leader, Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP), is expected to keep the job from 2027 with support from President Lula's government and the centrão, the large centrist bloc. He opposes moving ahead with the removal of justices.
Even if the impeachment filings stall in the Senate, justices read the race as hinging on the state of the Master inquiries and on the full bench's decision on whether to open an investigation. The court's vote is set for August 2027. Before that, in February, the Senate picks the official who decides the justices' fate.