Lula Installs Interim Justice Chief After Lewandowski Exit as Split of Portfolio Considered

Overview

• A decree published Friday in the Diário Oficial formalized Ricardo Lewandowski’s resignation and named the ministry’s executive secretary, Manoel Carlos de Almeida Neto, as interim minister.
• The presidency is weighing a division of Justice and Public Security, fueling a contested succession that includes Federal Police chief Andrei Rodrigues, Wellington César Lima e Silva, Marco Aurélio de Carvalho and Vinícius Marques de Carvalho for top posts.
• Lewandowski leaves without securing passage of the government’s flagship security measure, the PEC da Segurança Pública, which remains stalled in Congress alongside other proposals.
• Reporting points to tensions with the Casa Civil and the government’s communications team, along with pressure for a more hard‑edged public security profile, as key factors in the departure.
• Senior figures such as STF minister Gilmar Mendes and AGU chief Jorge Messias praised Lewandowski’s record, while opposition politicians criticized his tenure.