12/31/2023 2:00 am, updated 12/30/2023 6:07 pm
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) visited 18 Brazilian states and the federal district where he works in the first year of the new presidential term. Therefore, the head of the executive branch postponed trips to eight states, including Minas Gerais.
The state of Minas Gerais was important for the PT's victory in the 2022 elections, maintaining the tradition of reflecting national preference, despite the small majority in favor of Lula (50.2% versus 49.8% in favor of Jair Bolsonaro) . Minas Gerais is the second largest electoral body in Brazil with 16 million eligible voters, behind only São Paulo with 34.6 million voters.
In addition to voting on the agenda, another possible difficulty for the president in honoring the state of Minas Gerais is that the territory is governed by Bolsonaro supporter Romeu Zema (Novo), who has increased his support for Bolsonaro in the 2022 election campaign. Zema is tipped to run for president in 2026, the year in which the PL politician will still be ineligible.
In an episode of Conversa com o Presidente at the end of August, the PT member indicated that he was planning a trip to Minas Gerais in the following weeks, but never set the agenda. There was again the prospect of a state visit by the head of government in September, but this did not materialize either.
Minas Gerais is one of eight states without official visits from Lula in 2023. The others are: Acre, Alagoas, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rondônia, Santa Catarina and Tocantins.
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In some places, such as Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul, the president's visits were planned, but were ultimately canceled. No public commitment has yet been signed in Santa Catarina, a Bolsonarist stronghold, but Lula is expected to be present in January to sign a temporary concession for the port of Itajaí.
The head of the executive branch is scheduled to visit in 2024 the states in which he has not yet been in this third term and has already announced in November his intention to travel more throughout Brazil the following year.
The next few months will also be marked by votes and campaigns for local elections, which is why the president wants to strengthen relations with allies and politicians from other parties, as he announced.
1/8Lula attends a Minha Casa Minha Vida program event in SP with Boulos. ▲President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, during the contract signing ceremony for the construction of the 1st module of the Copa do Povo project Minha Casa, Minha Vida (MCMV), in the Itaquera district. São Paulo SP ▲Lula at the Mercosur summit in Rio de Janeiro ▲At the Mercosur summit, Lula poses with Presidents Alberto Fernández (Argentina), Santiago Peña (Paraguay), Luis Lacalle Pou (Uruguay) and Luis Arce (Bolivia) . the Museum of Tomorrow, in Rio de Janeiro ▲Lula with a medical professional at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul ▲President Lula at an event in Teresina, Piauí ▲12345678
For Brazil
In addition to managing relations with local elections, Lula will also carry out agendas nationwide to monitor ongoing work, particularly that financed by the New Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) launched by his government. Infrastructure will be a priority, as will transport and energy, with renewables being favoured.
The president said he will pay attention in 2024 to how each ministry will use its funds. At a ministerial meeting in November, Lula demanded that incumbents “be the best funders of work that is of interest to the Brazilian people.”
International agendas
Lula has been criticized this year for his commitment to international agendas. The PT member justified the program in several speeches with the need to “rebuild” Brazil’s image abroad after the Bolsonaro government.
According to a survey by MetropolisesBased on the president's agenda, Lula made 15 trips to 24 countries in 2023. There were around 150 bilateral meetings and telephone calls with heads of state and government and other leaders.
The president is expected to host some foreign agenda meetings on Brazilian soil in the next 12 months. As columnist Paulo Cappelli, from MetropolisesLula will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in January and French President Emmanuel Macron in March.
However, this does not mean that the CEO will forego international travel. In February, Lula will leave for Ethiopia and attend the African Summit, according to Guilherme Amado, also from Egypt Metropolises.