PCdoB Takes the Field for Lula and Greater Progressive Power in Congress
On Sunday (16), the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) kicked off the 2026 election campaign alongside President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers’ Party – PT). Lula officially began his seventh bid for the presidency at a major rally held at Primeiro de Maio Stadium—the historic Vila Euclides—in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo.
Learn about PCdoB’s contributions to the program of the Lula President 2026 campaign (click the link).
The launch brought together activists, party leaders, social movements, trade unionists, artists, and representatives of the forces making up the Brazil Ready for More coalition. PCdoB, which is part of Lula’s alliance, was represented by leaders, activists, and candidates from different regions of the country.
The setting chosen for the first rally carries powerful political symbolism. Vila Euclides hosted the major assemblies of metalworkers from the ABC industrial region of greater São Paulo in the late 1970s and early 1980s—mobilizations led by Lula that challenged the military dictatorship and helped reorganize the trade union movement and the democratic struggle in the country.
For Walter Sorrentino, president of the Maurício Grabois Foundation, returning to Vila Euclides also means reaffirming a political alliance built over decades. Sorrentino recalled that he was there as early as 1979 and underscored PCdoB’s historic relationship with Lula.
“I was here in 1979, when PT was born. Since then, we have always been allies, with different parties, with different alliances, but always together, on the same side,” he said. He recalled that since 1989 PCdoB has maintained a “strategic alliance” marked by a “relationship of trust, deep friendship, and strong comradeship” with Lula.
Sorrentino also outlined the significance of the new presidential contest. “We need a developed, free, and independent Brazil, and this is the struggle you will lead us in during this new campaign that begins today,” he declared.
Sovereignty and Strengthening the Left
The defense of national sovereignty, one of the themes that shaped the speeches at the rally, also featured in the communists’ statements. PCdoB’s National Trade Union Secretary Nivaldo Santana linked Lula’s re-election to the valuing of labor, development, and democracy.
“We are here at Primeiro de Maio Stadium, Vila Euclides, where Lula’s victorious trajectory began. Lula will be reelected president! To develop Brazil, value work, and defend sovereignty and democracy,” he said.
The race for the National Congress is also part of PCdoB’s electoral strategy. For the party, a presidential victory must be accompanied by the election of deputies and senators committed to the program of development, democracy, social rights, and sovereignty championed by the political front supporting Lula.
State deputy candidate Keila Pereira reinforced the campaign’s political character and contrasted the project led by Lula with the far right. In her view, the election should both ensure the continuation of the country’s reconstruction and confront the forces threatening democracy and national interests.
“It’s time to reelect President Lula so we can continue making progress in rebuilding Brazil and finally defeat this fascism that continues to threaten our country, which wants to hand Brazil’s wealth over to foreign interests and imperialism,” she said.
Keila also challenged the far right’s patriotic rhetoric. “True patriots defend Brazil. This is Lula’s team. Let’s charge ahead!” she declared.
“It is time to call for votes”
Nádia Campeão, PCdoB’s national president, called on party militants to turn the launch into concrete mobilization for the Lula-Alckmin ticket and communist candidacies across the country.
“Today the campaign begins; now it’s for real—we can use the name and number, and now it’s time to call for votes,” she said. “Name, number, street. Reach out to all your friends, fellow party members, coworkers, and neighbors. Now it’s campaign time.”
PCdoB national leader and Minister Luciana Santos, in turn, advocated for a campaign present both on the streets and online, capable of elevating the political debate and mobilizing the public around a national project.
“Now we need to ensure good, elevated, politicized debate in the streets and online—debate that excites people, inspires them to embrace their dreams, and believe in this country,” she said. “We are the ones who defend the national interest. Long live sovereignty; long live Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.”
From Vila Euclides, PCdoB officially enters the campaign with a dual task: working for Lula’s reelection and expanding the presence of progressive forces in the legislatures. For the communists, it is a contest that will be fought vote by vote, in the streets, workplaces, and online.
