Brazil’s Congress Ousts Two Bolsonaro Allies, Exposing A Hardening Power Struggle

Key Points

• Brazil’s lower house stripped Eduardo Bolsonaro of his seat for unexcused absences and removed Alexandre Ramagem after a Supreme Court conviction.
• The decision came from the Chamber’s board, not a full floor vote, sharpening a fight over whether procedure is being used as politics.
• Ramagem’s sentence was 16 years, 1 month and 15 days; his conviction makes him ineligible, while Eduardo’s attendance-based removal does not.

Two men can lose the same job in Brazil for very different reasons. On December 18, the leadership board of the Chamber of Deputies (the Mesa Diretora) declared the loss of office of Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL–São Paulo).

It also declared the loss of office of Alexandre Ramagem (PL–Rio de Janeiro). The act was formalized in the Chamber’s official journal. Both lawmakers are reported to be in the United States.

Eduardo’s case is the cleaner one to understand: it is attendance and rules. He traveled abroad, took a leave that ended in late July, and did not return.

After that, his unexcused absences kept rising until they crossed the constitutional line for losing a mandate—missing more than one-third of deliberative sessions without valid justification.

Press tallies published in Brazil ranged from 48 unexcused absences out of 63 sessions to 59 unexcused absences, depending on the count used. Ramagem’s case is heavier: it is crime and consequences.

Conviction and Power Shift

A former federal police delegate and former intelligence chief, he was convicted by the Supreme Court in a case tied to the post-election coup plot and sentenced to 16 years, 1 month and 15 days in prison, plus fines, with loss of mandate.

He had been barred from leaving the country but still departed, and he has not been taken into custody. Because the removal stems from a conviction, he is ineligible to run again under Brazil’s clean-record rules.

The story behind the story is about where authority sits. The Mesa voted after two reports supporting removal by the first secretary, Carlos Veras (PT–Pernambuco). The deadline for defenses closed on December 17.

Opposition leaders argue the Chamber’s board has taken a decision that should belong to the full legislature, turning internal procedure into a fast lane for punishment. Allies of the government say it is simply enforcement: one deputy stopped showing up; the other was convicted.

For outsiders, the takeaway is simple: Brazil’s political battles increasingly turn on court rulings and procedural levers, not just elections—and that changes how quickly power can shift.