🧱 Cabinet chaos, coalition cracks

IN THIS ISSUE

• Cabinet snub exposes Lula’s flimsy coalition

• Brazilian beef giant one step closer to listing on NYSE

• On Trump, Lula doesn’t want ‘Cold War’

Lula’s coalition woes laid bare by ally’s about-face

Congressman Pedro Lucas, of the right-wing União Brasil party, has declined President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s invitation to become the new communications minister — 12 days after initially accepting the offer. The reversal publicly embarrassed the federal administration and exposed the shaky scaffolding of Lula’s governing alliance.

Zoom in. Pedro Lucas’s about-face was more than a personal decision — it underscored the political fractures within his political group. Formed in 2022 as the result of a merger of two major right-wing outfits, the União Brasil party has been deeply divided since its creation — ironic given that its name can be loosely translated as “Brazil Union.” It now contains both pro- and anti-Lula factions.

• For Lucas, remaining União Brasil’s House whip instead of joining the cabinet ensures that his faction will retain influence. 

• Lucas has tried to spin this debacle as something positive for the government, claiming his change of heart avoids shifting power to rival groups, some of which lean openly anti-Lula.

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