Davi Alcolumbre, Rogério Marinho and Tereza Cristina are fighting for the Senate presidency in 2027, and the winner will decide whether Brazil's Senate moves on the impeachment of Justice Alexandre de Moraes and on amnesty for the Jan. 8 prisoners.
BRASILIA — The race for the Senate presidency, to be decided on Feb. 1, 2027, has become the main political fight in Brazil, and the stakes go well beyond who sits in the chair. Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), the current president, is backed by President Lula. Rogério Marinho (PL-RN) was confirmed as a candidate by the Liberal Party (PL). Senator Tereza Cristina is also in the contest, according to Folha and G1, and all three are chasing 10 to 15 centrist senators who have not picked a side.
The Senate is the only body that can remove a Supreme Court justice. A group of 10 senators leads the push for the impeachment of Justice Alexandre de Moraes, according to Gazeta do Povo: Marinho, Bia Kicis (PL-DF), Marcel van Hattem (Novo-RS), Guilherme Derrite (PP-SP), Magno Malta (PL-ES), Evair de Melo (Republicanos-ES), Carlos Jordy (PL-RJ), Gustavo Gayer (PL-GO), Carol de Toni (PL-SC) and Márcio Bittar (PL-AC). Derrite alone collected 13,273,880 votes in October, and Jordy and Van Hattem both passed 3.4 million. “Whoever commands the Senate will define whether the exceptional parliamentary strength won by the PL turns into limits on judicial activism,” wrote columnist Silvio Ribas.
Brazilian press reports say Marinho promises to unblock a vote on amnesty for those jailed over the Jan. 8, 2023 riots, while Folha reports Alcolumbre is betting on the machinery of government to widen his vote count and on a right that remains split. Justices of the Supreme Court, according to O Antagonista and others, say the Senate election will define the future of the court.
Why it matters
This is a fight over who gets to supervise the Supreme Court. Our recent reporting showed that justices were working to pick the Senate leader who could judge them. The latest reports put names and numbers on that effort. If the PL’s gains in October turn into control of the Senate, impeachment and amnesty stop being talking points and become votes. If Alcolumbre wins, the Lula regime keeps the gatekeeper it has now, and the court keeps a friendly referee. For Washington, which is watching how Brazil handles political prisoners, February 2027 is the date that decides which Brazil it will be dealing with.
The record
What is documented: the names of the candidates, the date of the vote, the election results for the senators listed, and the existence of an impeachment movement. What remains reporting or allegation: Marinho’s commitments on amnesty, the claim that justices are lobbying for Alcolumbre, and the vote counts each camp claims. No candidate has a secured majority.
The way a court’s members are lining up to influence the chamber that can discipline them is the clearest sign yet of how far institutional capture has gone under the Lula regime. The justices are no longer waiting for the Senate’s decision. They are trying to write it.
The Watch Post Daily will continue to follow this story. Sources: Gazeta do Povo; Folha de S.Paulo; G1; O Antagonista.
Featured image: Senator Rogério Marinho interviewed by reporters by Senado Federal, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
COMMENTS