Lula announces Guilherme Boulos as minister

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) announced on Monday (20/10) that federal deputy Guilherme Boulos (PSol-SP) will be the new Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency. Earlier, Lula met with Márcio Macêdo. According to sources from the Palace, the meeting was called to discuss Macêdo’s replacement and define the transition details. The appointment will be published in the Official Gazette on Tuesday (21/10).
The General Secretariat of the Presidency is responsible for the government’s articulation with social movements – one of the central axes of Lula’s political strategy. Boulos, who was one of the main leaders of the Homeless Workers Movement (MTST), is seen as an attempt to strengthen the government’s ties with popular and leftist sectors amid internal disputes and pressure for a greater presence of historical allies in the top leadership.
Marcio Macêdo, one of the founders of the PT in Sergipe and who has held the position since the beginning of Lula’s third term, has been facing criticism from social movements for a supposed lack of dialogue. People close to the president say that Lula intends to promote a ‘symbolic rapprochement’ with the bases that were decisive in the 2022 election, especially after the deterioration of relations with some progressive groups.
Boulos’s appointment also carries strategic political weight. The deputy will increase national visibility by joining the federal government – even though the decision may cause discomfort within PSol itself, which seeks to maintain independence from the Palace.