BRASILIA, April 30, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Brazil's opposition-controlled Senate rejected President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's Supreme Court nominee Jorge Messias on Wednesday, in a highly unusual move reflecting deep political divisions.

The secret ballot recorded 42 votes against Messias and 34 in favor, the first time a candidate for one of the top court's 11 seats has been rejected in over a century, according to Brazilian media.

Messias, currently serving as attorney general, has played a key role in implementing some of Lula's more contentious legal policies, such as tightening social media regulation.

A close Lula ally, Messias sought to win over lawmakers by presenting himself as a moderate evangelical Christian -- a significant religious constituency in Brazil.

But his candidacy effectively became a referendum on the government and the supreme court.

The Supreme Court has come under heavy political strain over rulings including the 2025 conviction of far-right opposition leader and former president Jair Bolsonaro for plotting a coup.

The court sentenced the former leader to 27 years in prison for attempting to cling to power after losing an election -- a ruling that triggered reprisals from the administration of US President Donald Trump.

- 'Defeating Lula' -

Its reputation has recently suffered a blow following the revelation of alleged links between several judges and a banker accused of multimillion-dollar fraud.

Lula will seek a fourth non-consecutive presidential term in elections in October, when he will face off against the former president's son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro.

"This is not about defeating President Lula in this vote -- whoever wants to take him on can do so in October," Senator Weverton Rocha urged his colleagues, speaking at a committee session ahead of the full chamber vote.

Before the vote, when the younger Bolsonaro asked Messias if he would grant amnesty to his father and supporters convicted for the attempted coup, Messias responded that "the discussion about amnesty belongs in the political sphere."

He did, however, refer to the events of January 8, 2023 in Brasilia as "one of the saddest episodes in recent history."

It had been thought that Messias, an evangelical Christian who opposes the legalization of abortion, might have been able to persuade conservative senators to support his nomination.

During his confirmation hearing, he had assured lawmakers he would be guided by "spiritual values."