Bolsonaro’s trip and the enforced absence of Mourao and Lira leave the presidency in the hands of Pacheco

President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) Goes to London, UK, for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on September 19. From there, it will go to the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UN), in New York, on September 20. However, due to electionsVice President of the Republic Hamilton Muraw (Republicans), a federal senator candidate from Rio Grande do Sul, will not be able to replace Bolsonaro during the trip. The election law states that a candidate cannot assume the office of president within six months of the first round of elections scheduled for October 2. If Mourao stays in Brazil during Bolsonaro’s trip, he will automatically become president of the republic, which will automatically make him ineligible. Mourao, who was forced to leave the country, will remain in Lima, the capital of Peru. The vice president’s team has not yet been informed of the reason for choosing the destination or how long he must spend in the neighboring country. Next in the succession sequence is the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Arthur Lyra (PP-AL), but was also barred for being a candidate for re-election and also for being a defendant in the Federal Supreme Court in a proceeding investigating the offense of passive corruption. In addition, Lyra also confirmed her presence at the Queen’s funeral. Accordingly, the task of assuming the presidency of the republic passes to the third in the line of succession, which is the head of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), who was not a candidate in the 2022 election because he is still in the middle of his current term, where he remains a four-year, eight-year senator.

This will be the third time that Pacheco will assume the presidency. Everyone who resides in the Planalto Palace, even if temporarily, has the powers of the CEO. So far, during the term of President Jair Bolsonaro, no alternative has taken, in fact, actions like the President, he has only complied with the protocol. Including Pacheco, who remained in office in May this year for just one day, during Bolsonaro’s trip to Guyana. On this occasion, Pacheco issued an order from within the Senate Presidency office. In June, when Pacheco assumed the presidency for the second time, the senator traveled to Paraíba and, while in office, participated in the celebrations of São João in the cities of João Pessoa and Campina Grande. The only time Mourao held the position of chief executive was in September 2021, when Bolsonaro attended the last session of the United Nations General Assembly.

* With information from reporter Yasmine Costa