The president () asked the minister of Secom (Secretariat of Social Communication), to remain in the government until the end of his term. Sidônio coordinated the PT campaign in 2022, and party members took it for granted that he would take on the role again in the race for re-election.
To do so, however, he would need to step down from his position at some point. Once this possibility is excluded, Lula will have to look for a new marketer.
Far from representing a dehydration of power, remaining in office will increase Sidônio’s influence, since a friend of his will have to take over the marketing of Lula’s campaign.
Former partner of the minister, publicist Raul Rabelo is considered for the position. Very aligned with Sidônio, he worked on other PT campaigns at the time when the current minister was dedicated to electoral disputes in Bahia.
This proximity should guarantee the minister ascendancy over Lula’s electoral actions even outside the campaign routine. Furthermore, he has already been heard about the PT’s communication, currently headed by Éden Valadares, also from Bahia.
The conversation between the president and the minister took place last week. Lula and those around him believe that the government cannot fail to execute its actions during the electoral period, and this includes communication.
Sidônio became one of the most influential advisors to the President of the Republic throughout 2025, . Lula consults him to plan his communication, but also for other areas of the government. By keeping Sidônio at Planalto, the PT member will avoid a physical separation that could make conversations difficult at crucial moments.
In addition to his power over government communication and his likely influence over Lula’s campaign, Sidônio is also consulted in the preparation of party speeches as he is close to the party’s new Communications Secretary.
According to PT members, this alignment influenced the choice of Éden for PT communication, allowing the standardization of government and party language.
Sidônio, Raul and Éden maintain a good relationship. They pursued their careers in Bahia and are even in tune when they talk about football – all three support Bahia. The connection facilitates the effort for the government and party to have convergent speeches, aiming at the re-election campaign.
The minister responsible for communication approached Lula in 2022 through Bahian PT members, such as the senator and the minister (Casa Civil), after a dispute over communication.
Once elected, the president even discussed the possibility of appointing Sidônio to Secom at the beginning of the government, but the conversations did not progress. The person who took over the position at that time was the current federal deputy (PT-RS).
The idea around Lula is to transform the 2026 election into a kind of plebiscite that compares the PT government with that of (PL), which nominated his son, the senator (PL-RJ), .
The PT members’ main bets are to focus on renewed and remodeled social programs and new measures, such as income tax exemption for those earning up to R$5,000.
They also want to explore Bolsonarism’s support for measures taken by United States President Dolnald Trump. The American increased tariffs on imports and, in the case of Brazil, , after being .
Several ministers are expected to leave the top tier of the government to run in the October election. (Institutional Relations) and Rui Costa, for example, must resign from their positions by April to be able to compete for seats in the Senate for Paraná and Bahia, respectively. Sidônio’s stay will also prevent Lula from having to look for a new member for the Planalto Palace.
