The president () ended his last day of scheduled public commitments in 2025, on the eve of Christmas, seeking support from the evangelical electorate and from and for his government’s projects.
The PT member held a ceremony at Palácio do Planalto this Tuesday (23) to sign the decree that recognizes the . Previously, Gustavo Feliciano was sworn in, in a move to get closer to a wing of União Brasil.
The evangelical electorate is not monolithic, but research shows that it is a social stratum that has greater resistance to Lula than the average population and could be decisive in the 2026 election.
In the case of the center, the president seeks more immediate support for projects of interest to him in Congress. I would also like parties in the group, which leans more to the right, to .
The signing of the decree was attended by gospel artists and evangelical leaders, as well as politicians such as the ministers (Culture), (Institutional Relations) and (Environment) and the ministers (AGU) and (Mines and Energy).
Marina and Messias are evangelicals, as is the senator (PSD-MA), who also participated in the ceremony. The vice-president and the president of the Chamber, (-PB), who had already participated in Gustavo Feliciano’s inauguration hours earlier, were still present.
“Gospel culture has grown and conquered more and more hearts and minds,” said Lula. He stated that, if there is anyone who needs to thank God every day, it is him, for his history of social and political ascension.
“The Constitution guarantees that the State is secular. But this does not mean the State is indifferent to the faith of its people. It means a State that respects all beliefs, that does not discriminate, that does not hierarchize and that understands spirituality as part of the human experience and cultural formation of our Brazil”, he declared.
“The signing of this decree, which recognizes gospel culture as a manifestation of national culture, represents another important step of welcoming and respecting the evangelical community and people of Brazil. It is a simple act, but with a very deep symbolic force. With this decree, the Brazilian State confirms that faith is also expressed as culture”, stated the PT member.
Lula said that signing the decree that recognizes gospel culture was Eliziane Gama’s idea.
“If it were up to me, this decree probably wouldn’t come out, if there wasn’t someone who said ‘president, if you’re lame here, let’s do it’. I’ve already done so much, why couldn’t I do this?”, said Lula.
“There was someone missing, with so many friends that I have who are evangelicals, remembering. It was a day that you [Eliziane Gama] remembered. You had come into my room other times and hadn’t remembered. But there was a day when you came with the mission to remember and you remembered”, he declared. In addition to speeches, the ceremony featured gospel music performances.
The inauguration of Gustavo Feliciano as Minister of Tourism consummates a change in the first echelon of the government aimed at serving a wing of União Brasil that wants to support Lula even with the party away from Planalto. The party is one of the main forces of the center.
Feliciano arrived at the post after , in an attempt to reorganize the government base. He is the son of Damião Feliciano (-PB) and was secretary of Tourism and Economic Development in his state.
The new minister is a politician from Paraíba, the same state as Hugo Motta. The president of the Chamber demonstrated support for Feliciano’s appointment.
“Your decision [Lula] to respond to the nomination of Gustavo Feliciano, above all, demonstrates his political capacity and his ability to bring together”, declared Motta at Feliciano’s inauguration.
The presidents of the Chamber and the Republic are experiencing a moment of rapprochement after a year with ups and downs in their political relationship.
