They consolidated the space of the head of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, (), next to the president (). With the minister-candidates becoming incompatible, Boulos expanded his influence in the so-called Planalto kitchen, even participating in the weekly meetings of the PT campaign council.
The expansion only took place in recent months. Upon taking office on October 29, Boulos, far from the decision-making nucleus of the Palácio do Planalto.
Among its responsibilities were, for example, defending the government on social networks, the relationship with social movements and strengthening the presence of the Executive in cities, with the creation of the Government of Brazil on the Street program.
At the time, Lula even attributed the articulation of and the end of . As a kind of spokesperson, the minister also saw his list of tasks increase as the , , pre-candidate grew in the opinion polls, having been selected for the.
But, for the president’s aides, the surprise lies in his quick integration into the group discussing electoral strategy. Affiliated to PSOL, Boulos is today an outsider on the council made up of the president’s historical allies, almost all of them PT members.
As shown by SheetLula debated the current situation and defined political-electoral strategy.
Among the participants are future members of the electoral committee, such as the president of the PT, Edinho Silva, its general coordinator; the former president of Petrobras Sérgio Gabrielli, responsible for preparing the government program; and the former mayor of Diadema (SP) José de Filippi Jr., future treasurer.
The group also includes the senator and former Minister of Education (PT-CE), the president of the Perseu Abramo Foundation, Paulo Okamotto, the former minister Gilberto Carvalho and the PT leader Mônica Valente.
The president of BNDES, , and the minister of the Social Communication Secretariat, , are also consulted by the president in the construction of the re-election candidacy. The marketer must be Raul Rabelo, an advertiser close to Sidônio.
This Wednesday (8), Lula himself attested to the prestige of his minister by confirming the sending of a project to end the 6×1 scale. A, but contested by parliamentarians and even members of the government.
Boulos’ career was not immune to arm wrestling with his peers. He attracted attention because he was one of the main organizers of the revocation of a presidential decree on a waterway concession program in the Amazon region.
The project faced resistance from indigenous communities in the Tapajós region, in Pará, but had support from other ministries, such as the Civil House. Boulos negotiated directly with the president.
Lula’s connoisseurs also point out that participation in the council does not mean automatic access to the president’s select group of interlocutors, made up, for example, of former ministers, and all from the PT. The trio left their positions to contest the election, two of them at the request of the president himself.
Boulos, in turn, wanted to stay in government. This is the first time that his work has been closely observed by the president. In 2024, Lula committed to the psolista’s candidacy for Mayor of . But he never worked directly with him.
The political world has been speculating for years about the possibility of Boulos migrating to the PT, a larger party with more capacity to project strong candidacies. At the beginning of March, PSOL defeated the minister.
He also appears as a possible political successor to Lula, now 80 years old. To do this, you will have to join a queue made up of PT members.
