SAO PAULO – In a move that underscores his commitment to political alliances, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced on Tuesday his decision to once again partner with Geraldo Alckmin for his upcoming reelection campaign. Despite external pressures to select a running mate from a larger right-wing faction, Lula has chosen to remain loyal to Alckmin, the current Vice President and former governor of Sao Paulo.
Lula, an 80-year-old stalwart of the left, has often navigated complex political landscapes, and his decision to pair with Alckmin, a 73-year-old center-right figure, showcases a strategic alliance. Alckmin, who previously ran against Lula in the 2006 presidential race, now serves as the nation’s industry minister, a role he will soon vacate to comply with electoral regulations.
During a Cabinet meeting in Brasilia, Lula confirmed that Alckmin would step down from his ministerial duties to pursue the vice presidency once more. “Our partner Alckmin will have to leave the Industry Ministry. He will have to leave because he will be a candidate for vice president once again,” Lula stated, highlighting the sacrifices made to adhere to Brazil’s electoral law.
According to the country’s regulations, any government minister intending to run in the October general election must resign from their Cabinet position by April 4. This requirement will also prompt other ministers to depart as they launch their own political campaigns.
“Our partner Alckmin will have to leave the Industry Ministry. He will have to leave because he will be candidate for vice president once again,” Lula said during a Cabinet meeting in the capital, Brasilia.
Brazil’s electoral law states that government ministers need to leave their positions in the Cabinet until April 4 if they are running for office in the October general election. Several other government ministers will also exit to bid for other positions.
Alckmin has conservative and right-leaning roots that served Lula well in his narrow victory against then President Jair Bolsonaro in 2022. This year, Lula is expected to face Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, one of the sons of his predecessor. Polls show the two in a dead heat race.
Dr. Alckmin, as many Brazilians call him, is a soft-spoken Catholic politician who governed Brazil’s wealthiest state three times. In 2006, he lost the presidency to Lula in a runoff by wide margins. In 2018, he started the campaign as the favorite to win and was later routed by outsider Bolsonaro in the first round. Bolsonaro then beat Workers’ Party candidate Fernando Haddad.
In 2022, Alckmin joined the Brazilian Socialist Party to run with Lula, leaving behind the center-right Brazilian Social Democracy Party he helped found three decades before.
During his time as vice president, Alckmin has been a key member of Lula’s administration in tariff discussions with the U.S. government and in the dealings that led to the conclusion of a deal between South American trade bloc Mercosur and the European Union.
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