Tensions between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government and the Brazilian Congress, already evident at the end of 2025, are expected to intensify further in 2026, an election year. Yet, according to political scientist Paulo Niccoli Ramirez, professor at the Fundação Escola de Sociologia e Política de São Paulo (FESPSP), the conflict could actually work in Lula’s favor with the public.
“The more Congress acts against Lula, the stronger he becomes in public opinion,” Ramirez said in an interview with Radio BdF. He argues that although Lula faces a solid conservative majority in the legislature, the political landscape for 2026 remains favorable. “There is no other left-wing or progressive candidate as strong as Lula,” he added.
Ramirez believes that the Workers’ Party (PT) should capitalize on the growing discontent with far-right lawmakers and use Congress as a political stage. “The party’s goal is to introduce uncomfortable proposals for the right. When the PT launches an agenda, it may lose the vote in the Chamber, which is expected, but it wins in the court of public opinion,” he explained.
The political scientist also criticized the decision by the Ethics Council to dismiss the impeachment proceedings against far-right lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, calling it “absurd.” He added, “The more the Chamber tries to protect him, the more it tarnishes its image before the public.”
Ramirez also pointed to the appointment of Guilherme Boulos to the General Secretariat of the Presidency as evidence of a political realignment. “Boulos’s appointment reinforces Lula’s ties with social movements and sets the stage for 2030,” he said. According to the professor, Lula is in a moment where “he has nothing to lose” and may choose to emphasize more left-wing policies.
Despite Lula’s sustained popularity, Ramirez warned that the president still faces serious challenges in Congress. “Lula has significant difficulties within the Chamber of Deputies. That must be reversed, and the PT needs to be very aware of it. Next year’s congressional elections will be among the most decisive since Brazil’s return to democracy,” he concluded.
