14 Bolsonaro-backed senators elected in Brazil, Lula da Silva gets 8

A large number of allies in the legislature is crucial for the head of the executive branch to be able to govern.

On Sunday (Oct. 2 ), conservative President Jair Bolsonaro (PL, right) managed to elect 14 of the 20 candidates he supported to the Chamber of Deputies.

Presidential candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT, left) drew eight names for the Senate. He supported 27 candidates for the post.

The mandate in the Chamber of Deputies lasts eight years, and the 81 seats are renewed every four years. This year, the update was 1/3, which corresponds to 27 vacancies.

In the Federal District, a fierce dispute arose between two former ministers of Bolsonaro: Damares Alves (Republican), from the Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights, and Flavia Arruda (PL), from the Secretariat of Government.

Officially, the chief executive in DF has established a unified list with the re-elected governor Ibaneis Rocha (MDB), Flavia in the Senate, and José Roberto Arruda (PL) in the Chamber of Deputies.

The electoral authority rejected former Governor Arruda.

The former Minister of Women, Family, and Human Rights was left out but received First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro’s support throughout the campaign. Damares was elected with 714,562 votes – 44.48% of the valid votes.

Other former ministers elected include Tereza Cristina (PP-MS), who headed the Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply portfolio, and Marcos Pontes (PL-SP), who was in charge of Science, Technology, and Innovation.

There is also Vice President Hamilton Mourão (Republican-RS).

During the live broadcast at the end of September, Bolsonaro asked for votes to elect a “strong” Senate to allow “control over other powers.”