By Camilo Diniz
Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP), president of Brazil's Senate, is negotiating on every front to be reelected in the chamber's vote in February 2027. According to the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo (Estadão), he has switched on what it calls "Lula mode" and is "negotiating the impossible" to stay in charge. The story was published on November 2, 2026, and drew attention on the X account @NewsLiberdade.
Lula's support and promises on all fronts
Estadão reports that after the presidential runoff, Alcolumbre received the backing of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, of the Workers' Party (PT), for his reelection. Veja magazine also says the senator has moved closer to Lula again in order to win two more years at the head of Congress. Brasil 247, citing Veja, reports that he told STF justices he trusts (the Supreme Federal Court, Brazil's highest court) that the talks are at an advanced stage.
Estadão adds that, even before the runoff ended, Alcolumbre began floating behind the scenes a commitment to unlock an amnesty for those convicted over the January 8 riots. He is also said to have opened room to debate a possible pardon for former president Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's president from 2019 to 2022. According to the paper, the strategy would be to attract the opposition and fragment the Liberal Party (PL). Alcolumbre tells interlocutors he is seeking pacification in order to "turn the page" on the tension between Lula, the Bolsonaros and the STF.
Obstacles and endorsements that do not vote
Estadão says these efforts run into obstacles. A pardon is an exclusive prerogative of the Executive, meaning Lula. The amnesty faces strong resistance in the STF and in the government. The only negotiation the paper considers viable today is the court's judgment of the so-called dosimetry law, which reduces the sentences handed to those convicted over January 8.
The newspaper also says Alcolumbre has touted the support of leaders who do not vote in the Senate election. He announced the backing of the União-PP federation, citing statements by Ciro Nogueira and Antonio Rueda. Ciro was not reelected as a senator, and Rueda is a deputy. According to Veja, União Brasil and Progressistas together hold 12 senators, far from a majority.
There is also the distribution of posts. Estadão reports that the Senate president is negotiating everything from the best offices to rapporteurships and committees, including those handling the 2027 federal budget.
The PL has 28 senators and its own candidate
On the other side is the PL, which, according to Veja, has consolidated itself as the largest bloc with 28 senators. Senator Rogério Marinho (PL-RN) is expected to make his candidacy official in early November. G1 reports that the party should field its own candidate, even with Alcolumbre's overtures.
Estadão says the "root" Bolsonarista core remains wary of Alcolumbre and claims he did not honor agreements over the past four years. According to the paper's column, the senator has not yet spoken with the PL's radical wing and admits to interlocutors that nothing is settled on these topics.
Why it matters
The Senate president controls the chamber's agenda, including which bills reach a vote, and shapes committees and the budget. That makes the race a key test of power between Lula's government and the right. The vote is only in February, and much can change by then. Marinho's formal candidacy, the reaction of Bolsonaro's base and the outcome of the dosimetry judgment at the STF will show whether Alcolumbre's "Lula mode" persuades or turns out to be an empty promise.
VDD Analysis
Someone who was elected with right-wing votes and now courts the Lula government is asking for a vote of confidence that his own base says it has no reason to give. Promises that depend on the Executive or the STF, and endorsements from people who do not even vote, are no substitute for concrete commitments. With the largest bloc, the PL has legitimacy to contest the Senate leadership and to demand more than backroom gestures from anyone asking for its votes.
