By Carol Amancio
Davi Alcolumbre, president of Brazil's Senate, publicly mocked Romeu Zema, the former governor of Minas Gerais state, over a video in which Zema is seen eating a banana with its peel. The clip went viral, and what Alcolumbre said, and what he left unsaid, drew attention in Brasília.
What Alcolumbre said about Zema's video
Commenting on the video, Alcolumbre said: "He got 0.27% for president of Brazil. That little video he made didn't work out." The remark tries to turn Zema's electoral performance into ammunition against the former governor.
Tension in the Brazilian Senate
The comment comes at a moment of political tension in the chamber, where different groups compete for influence and support. The opposition to the government, for its part, faces internal divisions over who should lead the agenda critical of the Executive. Names such as Senator Rogério Marinho, of the Liberal Party (PL) from Rio Grande do Norte, and Senator Tereza Cristina, of the Progressistas party (PP) from Mato Grosso do Sul, are also circulating in the maneuvering.
In this context, Alcolumbre's strategy is to point to the electoral failure of those who criticize him. It is a familiar political tool: disqualifying an opponent by the scoreboard instead of answering the argument.
The unanswered impeachment requests against STF justices
Alcolumbre himself is the target of criticism. He faces questions over his relationship with the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Brazil's highest court, and over the lack of progress on impeachment requests against its justices. The issue mobilizes right-wing voters and remains unanswered by the Senate leadership.
The mockery of Zema's video does not respond to those demands. Nor does it explain why measures to oversee the Judiciary remain stalled.
Why it matters
In Brazil, impeachment requests against Supreme Court justices are handled by the Senate, which makes its president a key figure in deciding whether they move forward. For conservative voters, who accuse the court of overreach, the fate of those requests is a central test of the Senate's willingness to act as a check on the judiciary.
What comes next
So far, there is no recorded response from Zema to the jab. It remains to be seen whether the former governor will respond and whether the opposition will use the episode to pressure the Senate president to move forward on the requests against STF justices.
VDD Analysis
Joking about an opponent's electoral results earns easy applause behind the scenes, but it does not address what conservative voters demand of the Senate: oversight of the Supreme Court and action on requests that sit in a drawer. Whoever presides over the chamber should be judged by that agenda, not by the wit of a comment.
