Senate Election

The vote held by senators to choose the new President of the Federal Senate declared that Senator Rodrigo Pacheco of the Social Democratic Party (PSD-MG) was re-elected President of the House. His term will run until January 31, 2025.

Pacheco received 49 votes, while his opponent Rogério Marinho obtained 32 votes. Upon taking office as President of the Senate, the senator becomes a member of the Board of Directors, responsible for overseeing legislative proceedings and administrative services.

He sets the agenda of bills to be deliberated in plenary sessions, also presides over the National Congress, and in the event of international travel by the President of the Republic, the President of the Senate is third in the line of succession to lead the country, should the Vice President and the President of the Chamber of Deputies be unable to assume the position. Below is a profile of the leading candidates in the race for the position.

Senator Rodrigo Pacheco

Photo: Edilson Rodrigues/Agência

Name: Rodrigo Otavio Soares Pacheco (November 3, 1976), born in Porto Velho, Rondônia, was raised in the city of Passos, Minas Gerais.

Education: He holds a Law degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC Minas), specialized in Economic Criminal Law at the Brazilian Institute of Criminal Sciences (IBCCRIM), and worked as a criminal defense lawyer.

Career Beginning: He began his political career in 2014, when he was elected Federal Deputy for the 55th Legislature (2015–2019) by the PMDB. In 2017, he was elected President of the Constitution and Justice and Citizenship Committee (CCJ) of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies. In 2018, he switched parties to the Social Democratic Party (PSD-MG) and was elected Senator of the Republic for the state of Minas Gerais.

Senator Rogério Marinho

Photo: João Gabriel Rodrigues / GABRIEL / FatoPress / Estadão Conteúdo

Name: Rogério Simonetti Marinho (Natal, November 26, 1963).

Education: He holds a degree in Economics from the Unified College for the Teaching of Sciences (UNIPEC), currently known as Potiguar University (UnP).

Career Beginning: He began his political career in 1994 but was not elected. In 2000, he was elected substitute city councilor for the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB). He first ran for the position of Federal Deputy in 2006 and was elected to the Chamber of Deputies. He has faced several political defeats throughout his career. In 2022, during the state elections in Rio Grande do Norte, he ran for the Senate under the Liberal Party (PL) and was elected.