President and candidate for re-election Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) failed to reach an agreement with the National Congress to pass the Proposed Constitutional Amendment (PEC) ending the 6x1 work schedule. With only one step left to be promulgated, the Senate floor did not vote on the initiative during the last week of voting before the elections.
The Congress leadership, which has been getting closer to Lula during the electoral period, has been trying to avoid confrontation with the federal government. The presidents of the Chamber, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), and of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), believe that Lula can politically profit even more from the measure if it is approved after the first round of elections.
The assessment is that the Workers' Party candidate can use the PEC's approval as a trump card in a likely second-round scenario, in which Lula is expected to face a tight race with the senator and PL presidential candidate, Flavio Bolsonaro (RJ).
An agreement still needs to be reached between the federal government and the National Congress for the proposal to advance.
