Brazil’s União Brasil party said Tuesday that it will not support any candidate in the 2026 presidential election, leaving its members free to campaign for different contenders in their respective states.
The decision was approved at a national party convention. União Brasil President Antonio Rueda described the position as evidence of the party’s “political maturity” and highlighted the influence of the União Progressista federation, the electoral alliance formed by União Brasil and the Progressistas party.
“I am aware of the political weight that the União Progressista Federation has nationally and that we have highly qualified names for every position,” Rueda said. “The position we are adopting reflects our political maturity.”
From Government Ally to Neutrality
União Brasil previously held two ministries in President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration. Daniela Carneiro and later Celso Sabino led the Tourism Ministry, while Juscelino Filho headed the Communications Ministry.
Senate President Davi Alcolumbre, a member of União Brasil from the state of Amapá, also nominated Waldez Góes, a member of the Democratic Labour Party (PDT), to lead the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development.
The party left the government in September last year. At the time, it gave members appointed to positions at the Planalto Palace—the seat of Brazil’s executive branch—24 hours to resign, warning that failure to comply could constitute “an act of party disloyalty.”
Investigation and Electoral Strategy
The withdrawal followed the inclusion of Rueda’s name in Federal Police investigations into alleged infiltration by the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), one of Brazil’s largest criminal organizations, into the country’s financial and fuel sectors. The source report does not establish that Rueda committed wrongdoing or describe the specific allegations involving him.
União Brasil’s neutrality gives its state-level leaders room to negotiate political alliances according to local electoral dynamics. Brazil’s presidential election will take place alongside contests for Congress, state governors and state legislatures, creating incentives for parties to adopt different strategies across the country.
The decision also reflects the party’s previous approach to presidential elections. In 2022, União Brasil launched Senator Soraya Thronicke as its candidate in the first round. In the runoff between then-President Jair Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party (PL) and Lula, the party again released its members to support either candidate.
This article is based on single-source reporting from CNN Brasil. The party’s decision does not rule out local endorsements or alliances by individual União Brasil politicians during the campaign.