Lula receives Lira and party leaders amid tension between government and Congress

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) met on Thursday night (22) with the president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), with government ministers and party leaders. The meeting took place at Palácio da Alvorada and was attended by around 25 people. The president scheduled the meeting to align the priority agendas amid tensions and Congress’s dissatisfaction with the government’s coordination.

In the social media, the PT member published photos of the meeting. “With dialogue and unity, we will rebuild and make the advances that Brazil needs,” he said. According to the leader of the PSB, deputy Gervásio Maia (PSB-PB), Lula thanked the Chamber for its performance during 2023 and highlighted the results achieved in the economy.

Maia reported that the president guaranteed that these meetings with parliamentarians will be routine in 2024, reported the Brazil Agency. “It was a very good chat, very light, with very positive energy, and I leave here excited that this relationship will improve even more and that this will bear extremely positive results for 2024”, said the parliamentarian upon leaving the meeting.

This Thursday (21), the Minister of Institutional Relations, Alexandre Padilha, said that the meeting would be to align the government’s interests and reinforce dialogue with Congress. In addition to Padilha, ministers Fernando Haddad (Finance), Rui Costa (Civil House), Paulo Pimenta (Social Communication) and Luciana Santos (Science and Technology), who is also national president of PCdoB, participated in the meeting.

Among the parliamentarians were the government leader in the Chamber, José Guimarães (PT-CE), and the MDB leaders, Isnaldo Bulhões (AL); from União Brasil, Elmar Nascimento (BA); from PSD, Antônio Brito (BA); from Psol, Pastor Henrique Vieira (RJ); from PDT, Afonso Motta (RS); from the PP, deputy Dr. Luizinho (RJ); of Podemos, Romero Rodrigues (PB), and the leader of the Majority, Aguinaldo Ribeiro (PP-PB), who is the tax reform rapporteur in the Chamber.

The mayor of Recife, João Campos, who is vice-president of the PSB, and the president of the PT, deputy Gleisi Hoffmann (PR), were also at Alvorada.