Election of new Senate president raises expectations for Amazon-related agendas

By Ana Cláudia Leocádio – From Cenarium

BRASÍLIA (DF) – The election of Senator Davi Alcolumbre (União) as president of the Senate raises expectations regarding agendas that directly impact the interests of the Amazonian states, given that he represents the state of Amapá, which is part of the region comprising nine states. Elected this Saturday, February 1, with 73 votes out of 81 senators, the Amapá native assumed his second term at the helm of the Upper House of the Legislature.

The candidates for the Senate presidency included Senators Marcos Pontes (PL-SP) and Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE), each receiving four votes. Senators Soraya Thronicke (MS) and Marcos do Val (ES), from Podemos, withdrew from the race.

When first elected in 2019, Alcolumbre won by just one vote, securing 42 votes. This Saturday’s overwhelming victory increases his responsibility towards the interests of the Senate caucuses, as he was backed by ten parties, ranging from President Lula’s PT to former President Jair Bolsonaro’s PL.

Among the key issues highlighted by parliamentarians, a regional minister, and the governor of Amazonas, Wilson Lima (União), are proposals to enshrine the Temporal Framework Law in the Constitution for the demarcation of Indigenous Territories, the next regulatory steps for Tax Reform, the repaving of the Middle Section of the BR-319 highway (which connects Manaus-AM to Porto Velho-RO), and sustainable development topics.

For Senator Randolfe Rodrigues (PT-AP), defending and protecting the Amazon is a federal government priority, emphasizing the “recognition and sustainable development of its people.” According to him, President Lula’s agenda focuses on national reconstruction, including defending Indigenous peoples and combating the effects of global warming.

“Developing sustainably does not mean that the interests of Amazonian peoples for their development are not part of the government’s agenda. Our agenda for the Amazon will focus on this—sustainable development while defending the forest peoples,” he stated.

Senator Marcos Rogério (PL), representing Rondônia, believes that the new political alignment formed to elect Davi Alcolumbre will grant the opposition a more prominent role in the Senate starting in 2025, particularly since it will chair two strategic committees: Infrastructure and Public Security. Under Rodrigo Pacheco’s (PSD-MG) leadership, the opposition was excluded from the most coveted committees. This new arrangement, the senator reiterated, will help advance important priority agendas for the Amazon region as well.

“I think that in the Amazon, we have various actions regarding regional development policies. These need to be carefully reviewed at this moment,” stated Marcos Rogério.

Another concern is Tax Reform, as he argues that the approved text removes incentives for regional development from the states, reducing competitiveness. Two other bills regulating the country’s new tax system will be analyzed in the Senate this year.

Rogério also advocates for paving the Middle Section of the BR-319 highway and legalizing land tenure in the Amazon, conditions necessary for environmental protection.

“The BR-319 has been a promise that has never materialized. The previous government started making progress, the first stage of the project was completed, but since then, environmental and legal hurdles have prevented further work,” he said. According to the senator, the road is not a luxury but a vital logistical corridor to integrate the northern states with the rest of Brazil.

Regarding projects affecting Indigenous peoples—whom Rogério refers to as “Indians”—he argues that the discussion is important but must be balanced, considering all populations without isolating them from society.

“It is necessary to look at the ‘Indian,’ and many people defend the ‘Indian’ from within the village without understanding their reality—how they live, what they eat, whether they have sanitary facilities in their village, or whether they live with dignity,” he declared.

Minister Defends Amapá’s Legacy

The Minister of Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Góes (PDT-AP), is not a member of Congress but attended the Senate session to follow the presidential election. For him, the fact that Alcolumbre is from Amapá—a state where all Indigenous Territory are demarcated, with a negative carbon footprint and consistent policies for Indigenous peoples, especially in education—prepares him to handle these issues in the Senate with balance.

“Davi is a product of this relationship, this construction. He arrives much more mature to deal with these issues. On the other hand, he also comes from an Amazon where thousands of people need opportunities. We support mining policies, as long as they respect the environment and traditional peoples,” Góes stated. The minister does not see any incompatibility, provided that transparency and traceability are ensured.

For Góes, Davi Alcolumbre should not follow radical left-wing or right-wing positions, as the president of the National Congress must be a mediator. “The Amazon has 30 million people who need to be served,” he said, adding that the region’s development model has not produced results, as its states continue to suffer from Brazil’s worst social indicators.

Aziz Wants to Regulate Resource Exploitation

Senator Omar Aziz, leader of the PSD in the Senate, emphasized the need to pave the Middle Section of the BR-319 highway, as it will benefit not only Amazonas and Rondônia but also Acre and Roraima. He argues that a lack of political will from environmental agencies is preventing the issuance of permits for the 400-kilometer stretch, which is currently impassable.

“You can’t say the government is incapable of maintaining a 400-kilometer road. With today’s technology—satellites and so on—there is no risk of deforestation. Moreover, on both sides of the road, it’s all floodplain,” he said.

Regarding projects impacting the Amazon and Indigenous rights, Omar supports regulating resource exploitation, as he believes that, under current policies, Brazil is losing revenue due to the illegal extraction of resources such as gold.

“Indigenous people have a great interest in improving their quality of life. They have valuable resources beneath them that could be sustainably utilized. Either you regulate this properly, or what happened in Roraima will repeat itself—where outsiders took over the land, and the Yanomami suffered the consequences, which we all witnessed,” the senator remarked.

According to Omar, since the 1988 Constitution, much has changed in Brazil, and land demarcation should not prevent the sustainable exploitation of resources.

“We must regulate this and move past the fundamentalist notion that the Amazon cannot be sustainably explored. There are carbon credits and many opportunities that need to be leveraged. The population cannot suffer because of people who do not defend national interests. If we were truly protecting our national interests, we would not be dependent on fertilizers and would be extracting more oil,” he concluded.

Valério Will Focus on ZFM and BR-319

Senator Plínio Valério, who became the leader of PSDB in the Senate this Saturday, also stated that the fact that Alcolumbre is from Amapá may help break the environmental agenda barrier in defending oil exploration and the natural wealth of the Amazonian states.

For Amazonas, the PSDB senator said that his focus will be on issues related to the Manaus Free Trade Zone (ZFM) and the paving of BR-319. He also prefers to address national matters, such as the proposal to establish fixed terms for Supreme Federal Court (STF) justices.

After praising Alcolumbre, Valério refused to declare his vote for the senator from Amapá. “But it will be the first time I vote in secret because I will not reveal my vote.”

Wilson Lima Defines Priority Agendas

Governor Wilson Lima, who recently attended his party’s meetings in Brasília, União Brasil, also took part in the election of the Senate’s Board of Directors. He stated that there are sensitive issues for the state of Amazonas, especially in infrastructure, notably BR-319, environmental topics related to the 30th Climate Change Conference (COP 30), and other projects regulating the Tax Reform.

“The Tax Reform, issues related to COP30, particularly the Carbon Credit Law, and other necessary changes. We are closely monitoring all decisions regarding environmental matters and sustainable development,” said the governor.

Escorted to the Senate plenary by Omar Aziz, Lima was asked whether this rapprochement indicated an alliance for the 2026 elections. He denied any possibility of union and stated that the election is still far away.

“Senator Omar Aziz and Senator Braga belong to another political group, not the same one as me. I have a good political relationship and talk with Senator Omar, who is the head of the bench, but my political alignment is different, and everyone knows that,” emphasized Lima, who aligns himself with former President Bolsonaro.

Wilson Lima is also among those who believe in the potential benefits of Alcolumbre’s leadership due to his representation of an Amazonian state, Amapá.

“At a time when there is dialogue with the President of the Chamber [of the Deputies], Hugo Motta. At a time when there is dialogue with the Senate President, Davi Alcolumbre, who is even from my party, União Brasil, from the Northern Region, from the state of Amapá, this greatly facilitates understanding and decision-making. Look at the recent struggle to approve another phase of the tax reform,” he highlighted.

Lima also emphasized the voting on the Carbon Credit Law, which required strong negotiations to prevent provisions that could harm the states in the region. “If it weren’t for the intervention of the governors of the Amazon consortium, we would have had a law that would be very damaging to the states, including Amazonas,” he stated.

Regarding BR-319, the governor said he is awaiting a position from the federal government on meeting the conditions required by each federal entity so that the request for an installation license can be sent by the National Department of Infrastructure and Transport (Dnit) to the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama).

In December 2024, the governor and Amazonas’ technical team participated in an interministerial meeting at the Palácio do Planalto to discuss the responsibilities of each party in obtaining the license to pave the central section of the highway.

“We are waiting for the federal government’s position. This is a very turbulent time at the beginning of a government. Economic issues end up consuming a lot of time for everyone, for all ministers. I am waiting to be called so we can understand the responsibilities of each entity, what the state will do, what the municipalities will do,” Lima explained.

Amazon Almost Absent from Speech

In his two speeches on the Senate floor, one before the election and another after his victory, Davi Alcolumbre did not mention the Amazon at any point.

The only time the region was mentioned by the new president was during a press statement after his victory, in which he defended parliamentarians’ prerogative to propose budget amendments to secure resources for their states, especially peripheral ones “that have always been forgotten by the national power center.”

“This is the reality we live in my North, in our Brazilian Amazon, but also in the Northeast, in a country of continental dimensions with multiple ‘Brazils’ within Brazil. Who is the legitimate representative that can, as a deputy, tell the Brazilian state what is important for developing that region? And that is why I will reaffirm my long-standing defense of the legislative authority to build Brazil’s public budget,” he emphasized.

After winning the Senate presidency election, Alcolumbre stated in a press address that his victory with 73 votes demonstrates that the Legislative Power is unified, and he promised to work with all 81 senators to elevate the Senate’s importance in discussions about Brazil’s projects.

In his plenary speech, he recalled that he was elected six years ago with 42 votes. “This broad support, even in a context with multiple candidacies, shows that the Federal Senate is united and knows the direction it wants to take,” he emphasized.

The new president said he will not be a “resonance box for the extremes,” as polarization persists in Brazil and has only hindered the country. “I want to be a catalyst, as much as possible, to hear all viewpoints on all issues. But I have a wish: I don’t want the Brazilian Congress to be an echo chamber for the extremes. It’s not good for Brazil; this constant polarization, these constant aversions, mean we live in a perpetual election dispute. I will ask everyone to think about Brazil and leave ideological, political, and electoral disputes for the election year,” he said.

The senator noted that conflicts between the Presidents of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), and the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), only weakened the Legislature because, many times, the Senate was merely asked to approve or reject government projects and failed to install a Joint Provisional Measures Committee. According to Alcolumbre, at one point, the government would meet with the Chamber President first to decide which projects to send to Congress under urgent status.

“We were called at the last minute, and there was an appeal for us to vote directly in the plenary, with a plenary rapporteur, on highly relevant matters that could have—and certainly would have—been improved if the Senate had time to consider them in a Joint Provisional Measures Committee,” he complained.

Alcolumbre also stated that, as head of power, he will make every effort to ensure harmony between the three branches but will prioritize the autonomy and authority of the Legislative Power.

Only Alcolumbre was elected through voting. The other members of the board were chosen by acclamation, as there were no other candidates.

Other Members:

1. First Vice President: Eduardo Gomes (PL-TO)
2. Second Vice President: Humberto Costa (PT-PE)
3. First Secretary: Daniella Ribeiro (PSD-PB)
4. Second Secretary: Confúcio Moura (MDB-RO)
5. Third Secretary: Ana Paula Lobato (PDT-MA)
6. Fourth Secretary: Laércio Oliveira (PP-SE)

Translated from Portuguese by Gustô Alves