According to Reuters, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula said on October 15 that he will submit a constitutional amendment to the congress, aiming to make public transportation free throughout Brazil on weekends. This is one of Lula’s latest measures aimed at benefiting the people, less than two weeks before the second round of presidential elections in Brazil.
In a video posted on social media, Lula said that the plan would be funded through budget allocations designated for specific purposes by Congress. However, he did not reveal when the proposal would be submitted to Congress.
In the first round of voting for the 2026 Brazilian presidential elections, the votes were cast on October 4. Liberal candidate Flavio Bolsonaro came out on top with about 47% of the votes, while Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva came in second with approximately 45% of the votes. Since no candidate received more than half of the valid votes in the first round, a runoff election will be held on October 25.
As the second round of voting drew near, public opinion polls showed that Lu La still trailed behind his opponent by a narrow margin.
This proposal is one of a series of measures introduced by the Lula government recently aimed at increasing household purchasing power. Currently, record-high household debt levels and rising debt repayment costs are putting pressure on Brazil’s household financial situation.
However, these measures have also raised concerns regarding the finances. Since the Lula government has not announced any corresponding spending cuts, economists warn that the expanding welfare measures before the elections could exacerbate investors' concerns about the public finances, push up borrowing costs, and further increase Brazil's debt burden.
On October 14th, the Brazilian Senate passed a measure supported by the government, reducing the number of working days per week from six to five. This brought Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva an important legislative victory.
Recently, Lula also announced that he would reduce the debt of small and micro business operators, and provide a subsidy of 5,000 Brazilian reales (about 6,560 yuan) to eligible operators. Last week, Lula’s government expanded fuel subsidies, stating that this measure was aimed at protecting consumers from the impact of rising global oil prices.
