Politics

Why Lula won’t be Brazil’s ‘acting president’ until Saturday

Brazilian tradition dictates that there must always be an acting head of government on Brazilian soil. Although seemingly outdated, the rule is here to stay

lula alckmin president soil
President Lula (right) and VP Geraldo Alckmin. Photo: Ricardo Stuckert/PR

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva left Brasília on Thursday for a trip to the U.S. Just before boarding the plane, he posed for photos and videos with his vice president, telling voters: “Until my return on Saturday, Geraldo Alckmin gets the presidency.”

The tradition according to which there must always be an active president on Brazilian soil has obscure origins, even for experts. A bill to change the rule was drafted in 2022, but it was paid little attention.

Article 79 of the Brazilian Constitution defines that the vice president will exercise the presidency whenever the president is “impeded” from doing so. It is not clear why trips abroad should “impede” the president from doing his or her job, but it has been interpreted as such — which throws up some weird implications on electoral years.

The Constitution also states that politicians in executive positions — meaning the president, state governors, and city mayors — must resign from office six months before running for any other office, except if they are trying...

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