President Lula's (PT) alliance with the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), and the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP), blocked the opposition this Wednesday (14) and advanced three proposals with popular appeal just days before the second round of elections: the end of the 6x1 scale, the Public Security PEC and benefits for the MEI (Individual Microentrepreneur).
The PT member thus attacks some of the points identified in internal polls as the main reasons for voting for Flávio Bolsonaro (PL): concern about the economic situation, one's own income, the high cost of living and crime. The others, beyond the reach of the campaign, are the feeling of change and criticism of the STF (Supreme Federal Court).
The opposition only managed to react in the proposal relating to public security, by presenting an amendment to reduce the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16 years old. The issue has historically been criticized by the PT, and the government chose to postpone the vote in plenary to reorganize itself and gain political success on other projects.
The PEC (Proposed Amendment to the Constitution) at the end of the 6x1 scale is the main electoral bet, as it reaches a wide audience: 14.8 million workers work on a six-day working day for one day off per week. With approval, they will be entitled to two paid weekly days off, without a reduction in salary. The text was approved in the Senate in two rounds by 75 votes to 1.
The proposal gained traction with Motta's support in the Chamber in the first half of the year. The changes will only come into effect, however, 60 days after enactment.
In both cases, the opposition was left with no way out after months of attempts to postpone the vote with the argument that the PEC is electoral, will cause losses to companies and increase prices for consumers. "The majority of Brazilian workers want the end of 6x1, so I will vote in favor," said Flávio Bolsonaro on Tuesday (13).
The PL's position served to reduce electoral attrition, but Flávio's speeches are exploited extensively in Lula's electoral advertisements.
The president intends to make the most of the benefits, and allies say he is even considering participating in the enactment of the PEC in Congress. It should also receive the leaders of allied parties to thank them for the vote. The opposition's strategy of warning about rising prices for consumers was left in the background.
Another issue with an economic bias that accelerated this Wednesday was the bill that readjusts the MEI's annual revenue ceiling. The approval occurred a week after the PL elected the largest bench in the Chamber in the next legislature and articulated against the re-election of Motta as president of the House. He put the proposal on the agenda the day after Lula launched a package for microentrepreneurs.
The project had been blocked for months by an impasse: the government only accepted the increase in the MEI revenue ceiling, while deputies also wanted to readjust the revenue limits for a company to be included in Simples Nacional (which allows it to pay less taxes). The decision was to replace the rapporteur with one from the PT.
Representative Rubens Júnior (PT-MA) gave his opinion in favor of the readjustment of only the MEI revenue ceiling, which would go from R$ 80 thousand per year to R$ 110 thousand in 2027 and R$ 140 thousand in 2028, at a cost of R$ 8.1 billion from 2027 to 2029. The measure could benefit the 17.56 million micro-entrepreneurs, voters that the PT member seeks please.
The parliamentarian incorporated into the project the promise of Lula's electoral package, a debt forgiveness that should benefit 3.6 million MEIs who are in arrears on their taxes and owe around R$12.6 billion. A change accepted by the rapporteur in plenary expanded the effect even further and will allow amnesty even for debts not yet included in the Union's Active Debt, increasing its scope and fiscal expenditure.
The opposition protested against the lack of financial compensation in the Budget, the electoral nature and the lack of readjustment of the Simples revenue ceiling. But, again, he voted in favor to avoid the hassle of opposing a benefit for a large category. Only four deputies voted against.
The government also made progress with the Public Security PEC in Congress. The proposal was approved by the Chamber in March, but was only approved in the Senate during the election, after Alcolumbre and Lula resumed relations. This Wednesday, the Constitution and Justice Commission concluded the approval of the opinion, rejecting three amendments.
The text should be analyzed this Thursday (15) in the Senate plenary, and Lula's allies say he could announce the creation of the Ministry of Public Security soon after, signaling greater attention to the issue if re-elected. A provisional measure can be issued with this objective, although advisors warn about prohibiting the creation of expenses during the election.
The central objective of the PEC is to increase integration and coordination between the Union, states, Federal District and municipalities in the fight against crime, giving the federal government a more structured role in formulating national security policy – in response to criticism of the left's lack of commitment to combating violence and criminal factions.
In this PEC, however, the opposition prepared a trap against Lula as a reaction. Senator Rogério Marinho (PL-RN) presented an amendment to reduce the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16 years old, an issue that the PT was historically against. The vote could reverse the positive bias of the agenda and cause wear and tear on the PT campaign. The tendency was for the matter to be postponed and only discussed this Thursday.
RESEARCH
All of these proposals were discussed by Congress while the first Quaest survey was released after the first round, which made government officials double down on the legislative agenda. The poll indicated 46% of voting intentions for Flávio and 44% for Lula, in the stimulated scenario, a technical tie.
The PT members highlighted that, in spontaneous research, when the names of the candidates are not informed in advance, the result is 43% in favor of Flávio and 42% pro-Lula. Another 8% declared a blank or invalid vote, and 7% said they were undecided. The numbers will be used to expand voter mobilization.
Bolsonaro supporters joked that polls showed that Lula would end up ahead in the first round and stated that the answer against proposals such as MEI debt forgiveness is to show that his intention is electoral.
Quaest interviewed 2,154 people from Saturday (10) to Tuesday (13). The margin of error is two percentage points, plus or minus, with a 95% confidence level. The research is registered with the TSE under number BR-08729/2026.
