Alcolumbre picks Eduardo Braga to report on the 2027 Budget and eyes reelection in the Senate
The MDB leader, an ally of the Senate president, got the rapporteurship instead of a PL senator, a party whose support Alcolumbre is trying to win.
Translated from the Portuguese original by the Panorama newsroom. Read in Portuguese
Summary written by the Panorama newsroom from the sources listed below. Facts are attributed to the original publications.
Senate President Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP) chose Senator Eduardo Braga (MDB-AM) as rapporteur of the 2027 Budget, g1 reported. Braga, the MDB leader and a close ally of Alcolumbre, had already announced he would back his reelection to lead the chamber.
According to g1, Alcolumbre's allies had even considered Senator Eduardo Gomes (PL-TO), the Senate vice president, in an attempt to attract part of the PL caucus to the February 2027 election. However, an earlier agreement had already reserved the rapporteurship for the MDB.
The political calculation carries weight. The PL elected 19 new senators in 2026 and will have 29 seats in 2027, the largest caucus in the chamber. To be reelected, Alcolumbre needs 41 votes and, in recent weeks, has been counting support and negotiating with the PL and allied parties.
g1 recalls that the MDB's North and Northeast caucuses backed Lula in the runoff, defying the party's National Executive Committee, and that Braga is part of that group.
Review of the Budget was postponed because of the election campaigns. The expectation is that the vote will take place by December 22.