MDB deputy defends that party supports Lula in 2026

Federal deputy Isnaldo Bulhões (MDB-AL), pre-candidate for the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies, argued that his party – the MDB – should support President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2026 elections.

“MDB’s natural path is to support Lula in 2026. This debate already existed in the last elections. We are in government, and my defense is for a coalition with the PT”, said the deputy, in an interview with Globepublished this Monday (11).

Currently, the MDB commands at least three of Lula’s ministries (Budget, Cities and Transport) and is part of the government’s base parties, despite some of its members differing from some projects of interest to the Lula government.

Bulhões highlighted to the Globe that even though the party is part of the government base, MDB deputies will be free to vote to overturn the vetoes on the time frame. “The PT has a consolidated and contrary understanding of the topic (time frame), but this agenda is not from the government nor was it provoked by it. It is a topic that provokes divergences. I have been telling the government that they need to understand the issue. The bloc of which we are part will free the bench, and the tendency is to overturn the veto,” he said.

Regarding his pre-candidacy in the dispute for the command of the Chamber of Deputies for the period 2025 and 2026, Bulhões said that his name is one of those listed in the government base, but highlighted that the MDB will still debate a candidacy, whether his or not. “I would never deny this possibility, it would be like resigning from my mandate. I have a good relationship with other names. We are on the basis of a coalition government, and all conversations will start from that”, he highlighted.

The emedebista also highlighted that the party intends to elect more than 800 mayors in next year’s municipal elections, despite having had a drop in candidacies in the last elections”. “The MDB suffered a lot with the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, in 2016, and the ministerial formation of Michel Temer. The bench in Congress fell a lot after that, but today it is already larger than the number elected in 2018. And we want to surpass 800 mayors in next year’s campaign. The party has regained its usual strength,” he said.