Brazil Congress Reelects Leaders Backed by Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, Beating Jair Bolsonaro’s Ally

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's chances of enacting legislation and governing in Brazil's polarized nation were bolstered on Wednesday when lawmakers chose to reelect the heads of both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

Obtaining 91% of the vote, Chamber Speaker Arthur Lira won by the widest margin since Brazil's return to democracy nearly 40 years ago.

Analysts predicted a close race, and some even predicted an upset, but Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco also won by a wide margin.

The new leftist president supported their candidacies and has been dispersing Cabinet positions and other appointments to bolster votes even though neither of them is an outright ally of Lula.

With this campaign, Lula hoped to defeat the candidacy of Senator Rogério Marinho, who had served as a minister in the administration of Lula's far-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, the Associated Press reported.

Both congressional leaders' positions are reportedly crucial in Brazil's democracy. They decide which measures will be up for debate and vote daily and can also approve congressional probes.

Arthur Lira and the 'Secret Budget'

Arthur Lira swore to maintain neutrality when he took office as a speaker three years ago.

Later, though, he became a firm Bolsonaro supporter, vetoing every one of the approximately 150 demands for impeachment proceedings against the former president. ABC News reported that he also supported Bolsonaro's reelection in 2022.

Sérgio Praça, a political analyst at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a university and think tank, noted that supporting Bolsonaro came partly in exchange for Lira to freely steer federal funds to lawmakers for allocation as they liked, without specifying quantities or destinations.

Due to its lack of openness, it was termed the "secret budget" by local media, and its critics have said it gave rise to systemic corruption. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva railed against the process during the campaign trail and pledged to abolish it.

Even though the incumbent had been seeding doubt in Brazil's electronic voting system for months and never admitted loss, Lula's victory was recognized officially for the first time by Lira, a key Bolsonaro ally.

Mayra Goulart da Silva, a political scientist at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, has observed that "When Lira has something to gain, such as access to resources and positions, his posture tends to be pro-government."

The Supreme Court invalidated the so-called "secret budget" in December. According to an interview with the local TV network GloboNews on January 31, Lira said ending it would make it more difficult for Lula to negotiate with Congress.

Arthur Lira and Rodrigo Pacheco Defend Brazil's Democratic System

When Jair Bolsonaro supporters stormed government facilities on January 8, clamoring for a military coup to reinstate their leader, who had left the country without conceding defeat to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, both legislative leaders gave fiery defenses of Brazil's democratic system, Reuters reported.

Rodrigo Pacheco disagreed with Bolsonaro's assessment of Brazil's electronic voting system and argued that political calm and unity were required to heal the country's divisions.

However, he clarified that "pacification does not mean remaining silent before anti-democratic acts," an apparent reference to the rioting and a subsequent call for accountability.

Meanwhile, Lira criticized the violent actions of Bolsonaro supporters.

"In today's Brazil, there is no more space for those who attack the institutions that symbolize our democracy. This chamber will not accept, defend or endorse any act, speech, or demonstration that violates democracy," he noted.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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