Transition gets underway as first members of Lula team are named

Nine days after Brazil’s presidential runoff election, Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin on Tuesday unveiled the first names of the cabinet that will lead the transition of power between the outgoing administration of President Jair Bolsonaro and the incoming Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva government. The new administration takes office on January 1, 2023.

The first nominations are a mix between bonafide Lula allies and names that reach further across the aisle. Among the former is Aloizio Mercadante, who coordinated Lula’s campaign manifesto, and Congresswoman Gleisi Hoffmann, chair of the Workers’ Party.

Ms. Hoffmann will be in charge of coordination with political parties.

Incoming administrations have the right to appoint a team of up to 50 people paid by the public purse who will gain access to information on government agencies and programs. 

Also on the team is former Congressman Floriano Pesaro, who will act as the transition’s executive coordinator. He served as Social Development secretary in São Paulo state during Mr. Alckmin’s last stint as governor (2015-2018), and is a member of the...