RIO DE JANEIRO, April 30 (dpa) - Brazil's Senate has rejected a Supreme Court nominee for the first time in more than 130 years, dealing a setback to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Senators voted 42 to 34, with one abstention, against confirming Attorney General Jorge Messias, news outlet G1 reported on Wednesday. It marks the first such rejection since 1894, when the Senate blocked several nominees under then-president Floriano Peixoto.
The secret ballot makes it unclear which political factions opposed the nominee, but the outcome highlights the fragmented nature of the Senate, where Lula's government lacks a stable majority.
During his confirmation hearing, Messias reiterated his opposition to abortion, a highly contentious issue in predominantly Catholic Brazil, and criticized past Supreme Court rulings that he said had undermined the court's authority. He also warned of growing "judicial activism," without linking it to any specific political camp.
Messias, who heads the Attorney General's Office, had been nominated to replace a justice who stepped down voluntarily. Lula must now put forward a new candidate for the 11-member court. NNN-dpa