The new Minister of Institutional Relations, Gleisi Hoffmann, said on Monday that he will work for the consolidation of the government’s economic agendas led by Finance Minister Fernando Haddad, in a nod to his colleague in his inaugural speech as a member of the ministry.
Gleisi also said he received the mission of collaborating with all ministers, and stressed that he is fully aware of his role as the Planalto political articulator in Congress.
The minister, who was president of the PT and is known for her combative and loyalty profile to President Lula, assured, in a conciliatory tone, that she will dialogue “with the political forces of Congress and with the expressions of society, her organizations and movement”.
“I arrive to collaborate with all ministers and ministers who coordinate their respective areas, respecting the spaces and competences of each and each, under the leadership of President Lula. I am fully aware of my role, which is from political articulation, ”said the minister.
She also stressed that the policy should be made to “to add, recognizing the differences, respecting opponents, building alliances, fulfilling legitimate agreements in the larger interest of the country and the population”.
“No one does anything alone. This is one of the fundamental distinctions between the democratic exercise of politics and authoritarian projects of power, ”said Gleisi.
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Change in Ministries
The change in ministries is part of the reform that the chief executive is focusing on curbing his fall of popularity and preparing management for petista reelection in 2026.
The inauguration ceremony, held at the Noble Hall of the Planalto Palace, was attended by several ministers, deputies and senators, as well as other guests. The place, reserved for events with more people, was crowded.
Gleisi leaves the PT presidency to take office on the Esplanade, with combative and loyalty profile to Lula, government members assess that the new minister will adopt a more combative and defensive government stance on federal management, which will be considered essential for the government to follow 2026. Another point that its profile will add, according to petist allies, is in relation to the negotiation of parliamentary amendments, pivot current political crisis between powers. The impasse of amendments is evaluated as the main topic that the ministry will have to face this year.
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Gleisi’s trip to SRI faced resistance from both opposition and government base members. For parliamentarians, the deputy’s fierce stance may be a hindrance for the government to expand its base and earn votes in Congress. In the opinion of Centrão deputies, the Ministry of Institutional Relations should be occupied by a name with more transit among different political forces, which was no longer seen with Padilha, much less would be with Gleisi.
However, for interlocutors of the Planalto Palace, Gleisi should alleviate his profile as he will now be submitted to the Chief Executive, and will no longer be the PT president. The expectation of allies is that the parliamentarian will avoid criticism that may harm the government, but should not abandon their activity on social networks in defense of federal management.
One of the main concerns about his appointment was the situation of Finance Minister Fernando Haddad. The new holder of the political articulation is critical of the economic agenda led by the minister. Under the deputy’s command, the PT approved in December 2023 a resolution that called the proposal to contain spending by the minister “tax austericide”. The document represented the party’s institutional position, but had the content endorsed by Gleisi.
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Nevertheless, management members claim that Haddad is not weakened in Lula’s eyes, but remains tightly in federal management. With the Russians between the two, interlocutors believe that Gleisi owes obedience to the president and, because of this, will avoid criticism of the minister. For the government, this would be seen as disloyalty.
A native of Curitiba, Paraná, Gleisi has a law graduate and began his political trajectory as a militant in the student movement. In 1989, he joined the PT. He was elected senator in 2010 by Paraná and was Minister of the Civil House of Dilma Rousseff. From 2017 to 2025, he was PT’s national president and consolidated himself as one of the most influential figures of the caption.
Before presiding over the party, he served as secretary in the Petist governments of Zeca (PT), in Mato Grosso do Sul, and Nedson Micheleti (PT) in Londrina. He also joined the transition team of the first Lula administration and took over a Binacional Itaipu Board.
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(with Reuters and Estadão Content)
