By Indianara Goz
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, of the Workers' Party (PT), plans to expand his cabinet to 40 ministries when he begins his fourth term on January 5, 2027, according to reporting by Visão da Direita. If confirmed, it would be the largest number of ministries since Brazil returned to democracy and would surpass the 39 departments of Dilma Rousseff's second government.
From 37 ministries to a record Esplanada
The Esplanada dos Ministérios is the central avenue in Brasília where Brazil's federal ministries are located, and the name is commonly used as shorthand for the cabinet itself. Lula's current government began its third term with 37 ministries. The present Esplanada has 38 departments. The new plan would go even further than what critics of the PT administration have already called excessive.
For comparison, the government of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's president from 2019 to 2022, operated with only 23 ministries. According to the source, that contrast between two administrative models will be explored by the opposition in the campaign.
Accommodating the Centrão has a price
The official justification points to campaign promises and the need to accommodate allies and parties of the Centrão, the informal bloc of center-right and centrist parties in Congress. The stated goal is to secure support in the National Congress, which is key to unlocking the government's legislative agenda.
In practice, as the source puts it, what emerges is a trade: more seats in the cabinet in exchange for votes. Ministries are spaces of power, budget and political appointments. The more ministries there are, the more parties need to be served, and the more the governing coalition depends on dividing up posts to stay standing.
Who pays the bill
Expanding the ministerial structure has a direct effect on public accounts. Each new department means more posts, more structure and more spending on the machinery of government. In a country that already lives with a fiscal deficit and record tax collection, the taxpayer ends up funding the political accommodation.
The question that remains, according to the source, is simple: what concrete service to citizens justifies 40 ministries? So far, the plan does not offer an answer. What appears instead is the need to distribute power among the groups that sustain the government's base.
Why it matters
Brazil's federal cabinet size is closely tied to how presidents build majorities in a fragmented Congress. A record number of ministries would signal how much the government expects to pay, in positions and budget, for legislative support. If the plan goes ahead, Lula's next term would start with the Esplanada at the largest size in the country's democratic history, and the debate over efficiency, cost and priorities is expected to gain strength in Congress and in the streets.
VDD Analysis
While the government talks about campaign promises and governability, taxpayers see a bill that only grows. Inflating the Esplanada to win votes in Congress means trading efficiency for patronage politics. A government that claims to defend responsibility with public money should start with its own size.
