Among the pre-candidates for the Palácio do Planalto in 2026 who currently hold mandates in the Executive, the governors (Novo), of Minas Gerais, and (PSD), of Rio Grande do Sul, are the ones who currently have the best comparison with their opponents.
But the presence of women remains less than half of existing leadership positions and does not reach 40%. In 16 positions in the first level of Zema management, 6 are occupied by women, representing 37% of the structure. In the Leite government, they are 34%: 10 women among 29 positions.
The survey of Sheet only considers the current list of appointees at the first level, that is, ministers, secretaries or equivalents, such as those in charge of the State Attorney General’s Office and the State Comptroller General’s Office.
(PSD) and (PSD), governors of Paraná and Goiás, respectively, have the worst proportions: 12% and 14%. In Paraná, the 3 women out of 25 positions occupy the Secretariat for Women, Racial Equality and the Elderly; the Secretariat of Culture and the State Comptroller General. The first two folders were .
When contacted for comment, the Paraná government mentioned the work of Eliane Carmona, who is the CEO of Fundepar (Paraná Institute for Educational Development), a position that was not included in the survey. Fundepar is responsible for works, meals and transport in the education area.
The Ratinho Junior administration also emphasized the fact that the governor appointed, throughout his government, four women to be judges at the Court of Justice of Paraná.
In Goiás, 3 women out of 21 positions head the Culture, Education and Environment portfolios. When contacted, the Caiado government did not comment.
Caiado and Ratinho Junior, as well as Leite, are the three PSD presidential candidates. The definition of who the party’s candidate for the Planalto will be will be announced by the end of this month, but the leadership of the party has already indicated that it should be the governor of Paraná.
“The very low number of women [principalmente no caso de Paraná e Goiás] draws attention, but it has an interesting aspect in the case of Rio Grande do Sul and Minas, which is the profile of those chosen, more technical and professional, more outside the political universe”, evaluates Nahomi Helena de Santana, director of the Paraná Institute of Electoral Law and master in human rights and democracy from UFPR (Federal University of Paraná).
She also notes that, in both Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul, women occupy positions with robust budgets, with visibility. “Priscilla Maria Santana, for example, is a career civil servant taking on a complicated portfolio, due to the history of deep fiscal crises”, she comments, in reference to the Secretary of Finance in Rio Grande do Sul.
HAS Sheet The Leite administration stated that it is the largest number of State Secretaries in the history of Rio Grande do Sul. The originality is treated as an asset by the government.
The Zema government said that it has been expanding “opportunities for them in leadership positions, always guided by technical and competence criteria”.
The Minas Gerais government also highlighted the presence of other positions held today by women that are not included in the report’s survey. He mentions Colonel Jordana Daldegan, general commander of the Minas Military Fire Department; delegate Letícia Reis, head of the Civil Police; and Gabriela Siqueira, head of the State Ombudsman’s Office.
Pre-candidate for re-election, the president (PT) currently has 38 positions (26%). According to the Presidency, ministries headed by women “are strategic portfolios for the development of public policies in crucial areas for the country and which stand out for developing transversal actions”.
The Lula administration added that female participation in management and advisory positions increased from 34.9% in 2022 to 40.8% in January this year.
(PL) holds a mandate as senator for Rio de Janeiro. His father, the former president (PL), maintained only two women in the Esplanada dos Ministérios for most of his term, or 9% of the structure, considering a design with 22 first-level positions.
For Nahomi Helena de Santana, those within political parties and the electoral process must be considered among the reasons that explain the low presence of women in the top tier.
“These are positions generally used in political and electoral agreements. I’m not saying it’s wrong, but this means that they are already tied to party nominations, most of which are controlled by men”, he analyzes.
“At the federal level, untying this is more difficult, due to the strong relationship with the National Congress. I remember the case of Ana Moser, who left the Ministry of Sports to make room for it”, he observes.
