Rogério Marinho, the opposition leader in Brazil’s Senate, says he will urge right-wing senators to publicly disclose their votes in the February 1, 2027, election for the chamber’s presidency. He hopes the move will discourage members of the group from secretly backing incumbent Davi Alcolumbre, of União Brasil.
“I’ll advocate for it. It’s difficult to justify voting for Alcolumbre publicly, isn’t it?” Marinho told Folha. The Senate ballot is secret, and Alcolumbre is counting on that secrecy to attract support from some right-wing lawmakers.
Senators from Marinho’s Liberal Party (PL) are due to meet on Wednesday, November 4, to decide their strategy. They are expected to put forward Marinho’s candidacy. Tereza Cristina, of the Progressives (PP), also wants to run.
The PL is divided over whether to challenge Alcolumbre or negotiate with him after the defeat of Flávio Bolsonaro, a PL senator from Rio de Janeiro. Some party members fear the PL could lose access to Senate positions if it breaks with the incumbent. Others argue that the opposition has enough votes to win.
The right is set to hold a majority in the Senate. The opposition bloc includes 29 PL senators and three from Novo. The Republicans, PP, Podemos and PSDB will have a further 15 lawmakers, most elected with support from the Bolsonaro movement. A candidate needs 41 votes in the 81-member Senate to become president.
Both Alcolumbre and Marinho say they have 48 votes, figures that necessarily include some of the same senators. Alcolumbre is relying on his relationships with current lawmakers and the favors he has granted to secure support from parts of the right.
Supporters of opening the vote say public declarations could prevent defections. Right-wing candidates campaigned on criticism of the Supreme Federal Court, while Alcolumbre opposes impeaching its justices—an issue that has drawn attacks from the group.
Alcolumbre himself pushed for an open ballot when he was first elected Senate president in 2019, with support from then-President Jair Bolsonaro. The Supreme Federal Court overturned his effort in an interim ruling by Justice Dias Toffoli. Some senators nevertheless voluntarily announced their choices and showed their ballots before placing them in the ballot box.
Some right-wing allies of Alcolumbre now face pressure similar to that experienced by politicians at the time. They acknowledge that publicly declaring support for the current Senate president could be difficult because of voter pressure.
Last Tuesday, the federation formed by União Brasil and the PP announced Alcolumbre’s reelection bid. Most senators and senators-elect from the two parties did not comment, while some, including Tereza Cristina and Guilherme Derrite of the PP, criticized the announcement on social media.
Marinho previously ran for Senate president in 2023, losing to Rodrigo Pacheco by 49 votes to 32. The PL then went without the Senate presidency, significant committee chairmanships or positions on the chamber’s leadership board for two years. In 2025, the party backed Alcolumbre in exchange for more prominent posts, including the Senate’s vice presidency.
Bolsonaro supporters now accuse Alcolumbre of favoring President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government over the opposition. They criticize his handling of efforts to grant amnesty to those convicted over the January 8, 2023, attacks, saying the proposal was replaced by a sentence-reduction measure that has not taken effect. They also fault him for blocking efforts to impeach Supreme Court justices.
During the campaign, Alcolumbre also helped bring to a vote a constitutional amendment ending the six-days-on, one-day-off work schedule, known as 6x1. The proposal was one of Lula’s main campaign issues and gave him momentum in the second round.
Sources: Folha Poder.