By asking the minister to run for Paraná, the president precipitated the debate about who will be in charge of the government’s Institutional Relations from April onwards. There is a constellation of candidates to take over the political articulation of the Planalto amid other changes in the palace and on the Esplanada.
Gleisi would already leave the position to run for , whose election is considered the most certain way to continue in office for at least another four years. But, on Wednesday (14), Lula spoke to the minister and asked her to run for the Senate, according to palace sources.
Gleisi said she was excited to fulfill what she considers to be a mission given by the president. Behind the scenes, however, allies point to a certain reluctance to take on the candidacy and recommend caution. The PT of Paraná, already aware of Lula’s request, does not take a position and awaits an official position from Gleisi to assemble its majority ticket.
Traditionally, ministers who leave office to run in elections leave the portfolio under the command of their executive secretary. The person holding the position at SRI (Institutional Relations Secretariat) is Marcelo Costa. A career diplomat, he has a technical profile, but his supporters understand that the portfolio needs a political name, even during election months.
In this sense, names of PT leaders tipped to take over Gleisi’s post are running through the Planalto corridors. This list includes the ministers (Social Development) and (Education). Both were elected senators in 2022 and, therefore, do not need to contest this year’s election to continue in office.
Camilo, however, has an uncertain future. Under , the minister is considered to run for state government. In this design, the current governor, Elmano de Freitas (PT), would run for the Senate. In this game of musical chairs, the current leader of the government in the Chamber, , would not see his pre-candidacy for senator prosper.
The deputy, who was already considered for the government’s political articulation, was once again considered for the palace ministry. According to allies, the five-term parliamentarian has said he has no interest in remaining four more years in the Chamber. Taking on Institutional Relations, at least until the formation of Lula’s eventual fourth term, is seen in the PT as a way out for Ceará.
Behind the scenes, Lula has been telling allies that the 2026 election will have a different profile than previous ones. The president intends to evaluate with a magnifying glass and intervene in the appointment of ministers who will replace the incumbents who will leave office in April.
On the other hand, the appointment of executive secretary Miriam Belchior is underway. Minister Rui Costa (PT) leaves office to run for the Senate or Government in Bahia, depending on the performance of the current governor, Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT), in the polls.
According to interlocutors, Lula began to pay special attention to the election for the Senate, in reaction to the strategy of the base of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) to obtain a majority in the House from 2027. The Bolsonaro right-wing aims to contain the powers of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) and impose defeats on a possible fourth term for the PT member.
Boulos’ stay
One of Lula’s few ministers who will remain in office during the campaign will be (General Secretary), who assumed the position last October. Federal deputy licensed by -SP, Boulos could move away from his current position to run for re-election as a parliamentarian, as will be the case with other ministers. The president’s option, however, was to keep him in Planalto during the campaign.
Remaining in the government until the end of the term was one of the requirements for Boulos to accept joining the Lula government, replacing Márcio Macêdo (PT). The psolist assumed the position after months of conversations surrounding the leadership of the department, which is responsible for bridging the gap between the president and the popular movement, taking office around eight months before the start of the electoral campaign.
Leaving the position in April — the time indicated for ministers to disengage — would give little time for deliveries. One of the main ones on its agenda for the first half of 2026, which should be relevant in the pre-campaign period before electoral restrictions begin, will be the Government of Brazil on the Street, an action that takes services from ministries to states through joint efforts.
In 2024, Boulos ran for Mayor of São Paulo, losing to (MDB). Interlocutors began to mention his name as being considered for the General Secretariat months later, at the beginning of 2025. Along with Boulos, the chief minister of the (Institutional Security Office), General Amaro dos Santos, will also remain in the position, as he does not hold a political position.
