Romeu Zema, the Novo party's pre-candidate for Brazil's presidency, said he would “privatize everything” still under federal control if elected, linking the promise to a broader package of fiscal and administrative reforms.
The former governor of Minas Gerais also said he would support impeachment proceedings against some members of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF), sharply escalating a campaign message that combines market liberalization with attacks on the judiciary.
A Sweeping Privatization Pledge
In an interview with the Canal Livre program, reported by Estadão, Zema said privatization would come alongside administrative reform, pension reform and a review of social benefits.
“If elected, I will privatize everything. This will cause interest rates to fall very quickly because it will come together with administrative reform, pension reform and a review of social benefits,” Zema said, according to Estadão.
Brazil's federal government still controls companies across energy, banking, logistics, technology and public services. Estadão listed Petrobras, Banco do Brasil, Caixa Econômica Federal, BNDES, Correios, Serpro, Dataprev, Telebras, Casa da Moeda, Embrapa and nuclear-sector firms among the state-linked companies that remain under federal control.
Zema did not detail which companies he would target, how he would structure the sales or which measures would need approval from Brazil's Congress. Estadão noted that privatizations can take time because they often require technical modeling, congressional approval and court battles.
Pension and Fiscal Proposals
Zema also defended changes to Brazil's pension system. He said workers would need to contribute for longer and argued against real increases in retirement benefits, meaning increases above inflation.
“Brazil cannot afford real gains for those who are retired,” he said, according to Estadão and Jovem Pan, which republished the Estadão Conteúdo report.
His argument is fiscal: longer contribution periods would keep workers in the labor force for more time and reduce the period in which beneficiaries receive payments. He also argued that benefit increases above inflation add permanent pressure to mandatory federal spending.
The sources did not include detailed proposals on which pension rules, public careers, social programs or federal expenses Zema would seek to change.
Confrontation With the Court
Zema's interview also placed the STF at the center of his presidential pitch. He said Brazilians would only regain pride in the court if some justices were removed through impeachment proceedings.
Under Brazil's Constitution, Supreme Court justices can be tried for crimes of responsibility by the Senate. Although many impeachment requests have been filed in recent years, no STF justice has been removed since Brazil's return to democracy.
Zema linked his criticism to allegations surrounding Banco Master and its founder, Daniel Vorcaro. In an interview with Metrópoles, he accused Justices Dias Toffoli and Alexandre de Moraes of improper ties to Vorcaro and said they should face impeachment, investigation and possible arrest. The excerpts published by Metrópoles did not include responses from the justices.
The Novo party has also promoted formal action against Moraes. In a March 9 post on its own website, the party said Zema and party leaders had filed an impeachment request against Moraes at the Senate, citing messages allegedly connected to the Banco Master case.
The 2026 Stakes
The next president may have significant influence over the STF's composition. Estadão reported that Justices Luiz Fux, Cármen Lúcia and Gilmar Mendes are due to retire during the next presidential term because Brazil requires Supreme Court justices to leave office at age 75.
If President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, of the Workers' Party (PT), does not fill the vacancy left by former Justice Luís Roberto Barroso before the end of his term, the winner of the 2026 election could nominate as many as four justices.
Zema has argued that Brazil needs different rules for court appointments, including a minimum age of 60 and limits on individual decisions by justices, especially in cases affecting Congress. Those proposals would likely require institutional and legislative changes beyond presidential action alone.