The crucial importance of the congressional leadership election

On February 1, Brazilian federal lawmakers will make arguably the most consequential political decision of the year when they elect new leadership boards in each chamber of Congress.

In the lower house, there are nine candidates for the highly coveted Speaker role, with Arthur Lira and Baleia Rossi being the current frontrunners. The former has the support of President Jair Bolsonaro, while the latter is backed by incumbent House Speaker Rodrigo Maia. Across the hallway, there are four names in the hat for Senate President: the Bolsonaro-backed Rodrigo Pacheco seems poised to win the vote, but may face stiff competition from first-term senator Simone Tebet.

While perhaps smacking of inside baseball, it cannot be understated just how important congressional leadership elections are to the functioning of Brazil’s democracy. 

The vote dominates the public agenda at the beginning of the year and candidates spend large sums of money on their campaigns, jetting around the country, despite the fact they only need to win over their peers in Congress.

Congress leaders decide which...