The PSD headquarters in the Chamber of Deputies decided this Tuesday (16) to support the candidacy of deputy Hugo Leal (PSD-RJ) for the position which will be open at the TCU (Federal Court of Auditors) in February 2026 with the retirement of Minister Aroldo Cedraz.
With this choice, the acronym disrupts the agreement concluded between the President of the Chamber, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), and his predecessor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), to elect a PT deputy to this post. The favorite is Odair Cunha (MG), former leader of the PT and considered part of the most pragmatic wing of the party.
Leal is the first candidate formally launched against Cunha’s candidacy. União Brasil is also considering supporting a party deputy, but is divided between Danilo Forte (CE) – who is putting pressure on the judiciary to meet as quickly as possible to decide – and Elmar Nascimento (BA).
PT members reached an agreement with Motta and Lira to help elect a party candidate. In exchange, they supported the candidacy of the current President of the House – who is currently experiencing friction with the judiciary and the Lula (PT) government. The Alagoas man confirmed the deal in an interview with Leaf at the time of the elections.
The TCU minister position is coveted because of his role in deciding government contracts and tenders, in addition to controlling government spending. The position also guarantees a lifetime salary to the chosen candidate.
The PT tried to bring forward the vote and organize the elections in 2025, to avoid the issue being contaminated by the electoral debate, while the majority of deputies tend to run against the Lula (PT) government. The choice will however be left to next year.
Motta decided that this week’s sessions, the last before the holidays, will take place with recording of votes and attendance by cell phone, without the deputies having to be in Brasilia. The TCU election, however, can only take place face-to-face, with a secret vote recorded in voting booths installed in plenary. Whoever gets the most votes in a single round wins.
The members of the PT and the leaders of the center affirm that, for the moment, the agreement is maintained. The parliamentarians interviewed by the report, however, affirm that the great dissatisfaction of the deputies with regard to the PT and the Palácio do Planalto could harm, or even make the agreement unfeasible.
A group of PT members and center deputies meets periodically to discuss political issues, including the nomination to the TCU. Today, according to members of this group, there is enough support to elect the PT deputy, with around 270 votes.
Opponents, however, assert that the anti-PTism climate in plenary is stronger and that the agreement with party leaders will not be enough to guarantee votes. The majority of deputies are center-right and right-wing, which they believe would favor the other candidates.
The defeat of the PT candidate could put a strain on the PT’s already contested relations with Motta. Last week, the party’s leader in the House, Lindbergh Farias (RJ), declared that the President of the House “loses the conditions to continue” his mandate, because of the vote on the project which aims to reduce the prison sentence of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and others convicted of the coup plot.
Motta broke with Lindbergh in November, after criticism of the conduct of the anti-faction PL sent by President Lula. Despite the friction, PT members demand that the agreement on the TCU be maintained.
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