Alckmin’s political future is still a subject of government negotiations; the definition should only occur in the coming months, as alliances and candidacies in the states are consolidated
The vice-president of the Republic, Geraldo Alckmin, announced this Thursday (5) that will leave command of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (Mdic) on April 4, the deadline set out in electoral legislation for those who intend to contest the 2026 elections. Alckmin, however, remains in the position of vice president.
The non-compliance rule requires ministers to leave office six months before the first round of elections, scheduled for October 4th. The requirement, however, does not apply to the vice presidency. Thus, Alckmin can continue in his post even participating in the electoral dispute, as long as he does not assume the Presidency of the Republic during this period.
According to legislation, if the vice-president temporarily holds the Presidency within the six months before the election, he would become ineligible. Therefore, sand decides to run for another position, Alckmin will have to avoid replacing Lula in any absence.
Mercosur–EU Agreement
In an atmosphere of farewell from his position, Alckmin attended the presentation of the February trade balance figures. Normally, only technicians from the Foreign Trade Secretariat disclose the data.
Alckmin gave a brief overview of just over three years at the helm of Mdic. The vice president and minister commented on the approval of the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union and reaffirmed that the government’s expectation is that the treaty will come into force in May.
According to Alckmin, ratification by the National Congress, which concluded the approval of the treaty on Wednesday night (4), ends more than two decades of negotiations and paves the way for the provisional application of the pact.
The vice president also highlighted that the agreement provides safeguards to protect the national industry in the event of an excessive increase in imports.
Single Portal
Geraldo Alckmin also highlighted advances in the Single Foreign Trade Portal (Siscomex), a digital platform that integrates export and import procedures in the country.
According to the minister, the system accounted for around 50% of Brazilian import operations for the first time in February.
The government’s expectation is that the platform will be fully implemented by the end of the year.
According to Mdic estimates, the modernization of processes can generate cost savings of more than R$40 billion per year for companies operating in foreign trade, reducing the time it takes to release goods and simplifying bureaucratic procedures.
Political future
Alckmin’s political future is still a subject of government negotiations. It is not yet known whether he will run again for the vice-presidency on Lula’s ticket, the government of São Paulo, a position he held for four terms (2001 to 2006 and 2011 to 2018), or a seat in the Senate for the state.
São Paulo is the largest electoral college in the country. The negotiations also involve the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, cited as a possible candidate for the São Paulo government, although he has shown resistance to the dispute.
The definition should only occur in the coming months, as alliances and candidacies in the states are consolidated.
*Brazil Agency
