which intends to double its bench of federal deputies in the next election, has become the main threat to the re-election of deputy (-PB) for another two years as president of the Chamber, in the view of allies.
The dispute will only take place on February 1, 2027, under another government, which will influence the negotiations. Behind the scenes, however, there are already subtle movements between the parties for positioning, and the (Federal Audit Court) is.
Kassab set the tone for an opposition campaign last week, when he participated in a conference with investors organized by the bank BTG Pactual and criticized the lack of debate on reducing the size of the State, public transparency policies and a.
“Of course, I’m not happy with this Congress. A Congress that doesn’t provide any response to these demands from society,” he stated, demanding that the Legislature “impose itself” so that other institutions begin to respect it more. “It is a Congress that is not up to par with Brazilian society and that needs to be improved.”
It currently has 47 federal deputies, two more than the Republicans, Motta’s party. The acronym, however, grew regionally with the election of the largest number of mayors in 2024, such as Eduardo Leite (RS), Ronaldo Caiado (GO) and Raquel Lyra (PE). With this, he works with the goal of reaching 90 or 100 deputies.
Kassab’s party is one of the most distant from Motta among the center-right parties. The group closest to the current president of the Chamber includes the PP and União Brasil (which will form a federation to compete together in the next elections), in addition to the Republicans and smaller parties, such as Podemos.
The PSD kept deputy Antonio Brito (BA) as leader of its bench, who tried to run for president of the Chamber against Motta, but ended up being run over by the government’s (PT) agreement with the successor appointed by the former president (PP-AL).
Despite the frustrated plan, the PSD has supported the mayor’s agenda, and Brito maintains a tacit alliance with Motta. It integrates, for example, into the decisions of the House. But deputies say the relationship is one of distrust.
The president of the Chamber has closest allies in the PSD, such as Domingos Neto (CE) —who was entrusted with the rapporteurship of projects such as the district vote and the reform of health plans— and Cezinha da Madureira (SP) —whom he tried to establish as rapporteur for the CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) of the INSS.
One of the first stages of this dispute, in the view of Motta’s allies, will be the election for the TCU vacancy opened at the end of February with the retirement of Aroldo Cedraz. Motta and Lira promised to elect deputy Odair Cunha (PT-MG) in exchange for the support of PT, PSD and União Brasil.
The PSD will have Hugo Leal (RJ) as a candidate. União Brasil hopes for an agreement between Elmar Nascimento (BA) and Danilo Forte (CE). The agreement is that Nascimento will try to secure the support of the PSD and the PL. If you succeed, it will be the name of the group. If not, he will give up and support Forte in the election. Voting is secret and takes place in a single round.
Deputies involved in the negotiations say that, among the suggestions on the table, are the national election in October and also future elections, such as the disputes for the presidency of the Chamber and for the second vacancy for the TCU that will be opened with the retirement of Augusto Nardes next year — he is considering bringing it forward to March, which would open space for another nomination later this year.
An ally of the President of the House claims that he needs to sit down with the PSD and renegotiate the terms of the current alliance. One of the suggestions is to review the nomination of a party parliamentarian for the presidency of the CMO (Mixed Budget Committee). The chosen one is Domingos Neto. Another is to avoid handing over reports on important projects to the acronym. So far, Motta has shown no signs of following this advice.
PSD parliamentarians say, behind the scenes, that the party can take advantage of the fragility of the current president of the Chamber to seek the vacancy in February 2027, if he is unable to rebuild his image by then. The size of each party’s exit from the election will also be decisive for this.
Motta ended the first year under distrust from the Lula government (PT), left-wing and opposition parties, and with . Lira stated, after the disaffection (-RJ), that the current president’s management was “a mess”.
Both, however, got back together. According to allies, Motta has acted directly to help Lira make her candidacy for the Senate viable — which takes a shadow from the current president, preventing his predecessor from deciding to remain in the Chamber and run again for command of the House.
Motta took Lira to a meeting with Lula last year, in a mix involving the electoral scenario in Alagoas and the nomination of the aunt of the mayor of Maceió, JHC (PL), to the (Superior Court of Justice). It would also have guaranteed support for him for the TCU’s second vacancy, if he is defeated in the October election.
With Lira’s departure from the dispute, Motta is seen in the Chamber as a favorite for re-election, even in the face of continued internal wear and tear. Party leaders heard by the Sheet They praise his good manners and ability to dialogue and state that the powers conferred by the presidency inhibit other opponents. If he has a good second year in office, they say, he shouldn’t find any opponents.
When contacted, Motta and Brito declined to comment.
