In Brazil too, the replacement of a Supreme Court judge is controversial

Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Celso de Mello has announced his retirement.

Here during a session in Brasilia, March 21, 2020. EVARISTO SA / AFP

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7 min

Changes to the Supreme Court in Brazil, as in the United States.

In Brasilia, it is the retirement this Tuesday, October 13 of Celso de Mello that causes strong reactions and some apprehensions.

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He was called "the dean".

After 31 years of good and loyal service to the Supreme Court, and reached the age limit (75), Celso de Mello has just bowed out.

Rarely, he had managed to gain respect, not to say sympathy, on the right as well as on the left, reports our correspondent in São Paulo, Martin Bernard.

And yet the last fifteen years have been dominated by corruption scandals, the conviction of former President Lula and the rise to power of the far right.

His latest decision was to force President Bolsonaro to appear in person in a case of federal police interference.

Jair Bolsonaro had promised to appoint in his place a “

 ”

magistrate 

, to reward his allies on both religious and political grounds.

But his choice finally fell on Kassio Marques, a Catholic, lawyer close to the conservative center who has become the backbone of the new majority that the president is trying to form in Congress.

Not without promising to appoint an evangelical to the Supreme Court as early as next year.

On October 21, the appointment of Celso de Mello's successor will be put to the vote of the Senate, which should a priori validate it.

On the side of evangelicals, this choice sounds like a betrayal.

Pastor Silas Malafaia, fervent supporter of the president, does not accept that he can appoint to this post a judge who, nine years earlier, had been appointed by former president Dilma Roussef to the court of his region.

Supreme Court: Jaïr Bolsonaro wanted an evangelical judge ... his choice finally fell on Kássio Nunes.

Listen to the report from our correspondent, Sarah Cozzolino

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