1. After two years without a party, Bolsonaro becomes a member of PL, the 9th party of his career

On Tuesday (11/30), after weeks of negotiations, President Jair Bolsonaro finally became a member of Partido Liberal (PL). The membership ceremony took place at the party’s headquarters, in Brasília with party president Valdemar Costa Neto, members of Congress, and members of the administration.

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro – who left Patriota – and Regional Development Minister Rogério Marinho, also became members. PL will be Bolsonaro’s 9th party, as he’s been a member of PSL, PSC, PP, PFL, PTB, PPB, PPR, and PDC.

Jair Bolsonaro was elected president with PSL in November 2018 and left the party the following year due to disagreements with leadership. At the time, Bolsonaro tried to create a new party – Aliança pelo Brasil – but couldn’t gather enough signatures.

G1: Após dois anos sem partido, Bolsonaro se filia ao PL
O Globo: Bolsonaro se filia ao PL com a presença da “Capitã Cloroquina” e mais 15 ministros
CNN: Bolsonaro se filia ao PL e diz querer compor bancadas para “fazer o melhor para o Brasil”
Terra: “Não foi uma decisão fácil”, diz Bolsonaro ao se filiar ao PL

2. GDP drops 0.1% in third quarter, meaning Brazil is technically in a recession

The Brazilian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) dropped 0.1% in the third quarter of 2021 when compared to the previous three months. According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the drop confirms that Brazil is technically in a recession (when there is a drop in GDP for two consecutive quarters).

Also, according to IBGE, official data show that the economy is slowly recovering even though GDP had recovered to pre-pandemic levels in the beginning of the year. The last technical recession occurred in the first two quarters of 2020, when GDP dropped 2.3% and then 8.9%.

IBGE added that Brazil’s performance is the result of an 8% drop in agricultural production during the quarter. During the same period, the industrial sector remained stable and the service sector grew 1.1%. Among industrial activities, only the civil construction sector saw growth, at 3.9%.

Infomoney: PIB do Brasil tem variação negativa de 0,1% no 3º trimestre, pouco abaixo do esperado
G1: PIB do Brasil cai 0,1% e país entra em recessão técnica
Isto é Dinheiro: PIB do Brasil contra 0,1% no 3º tri sob peso de agropecuária

3. With a vote of 47 to 32, the Senate approves André Mendonça as Federal Supreme Court Justice

On Wednesday, the Senate approved lawyer, former justice minister, and former attorney general André Mendonça as a new Federal Supreme Court Justice. His nomination was approved by a vote of 47 votes to 32 during a secret ballot. Mendonça will replace Marco Aurélio Mello, who retired in July.

Mendonça was nominated by President Jair Bolsonaro and was interviewed by the Senate’s Justice and Constitution Committee for eight hours. The committee approved his nomination with a vote of 18 to 9.

After receiving the Senate’s approval, Mendonça thanked senators who were members of the evangelical caucus and said that joining the Federal Supreme Court was “a great step for evangelical Christians,” who will now have a representative on the Court.

André Mendonça’s inauguration date will be decided by Federal Supreme Court President Luiz Fux. In a public statement, he said he plans to organize the inauguration ceremony before the end of this year.

G1: Após sabatina no Senado, André Mendonça é escolhido como novo ministro do STF
BBC: O que esperar de André Mendonça após aprovação no Senado
Agência Brasil: Plenário do Senado aprova indicação de André Mendonça ao STF

4. Brazil records first confirmed cases of the Omicron variant

This week, the first cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant were recorded in Brazil. The first two cases were confirmed by Instituto Adolfo Lutz in São Paulo on Tuesday (11/30). A 41-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman were diagnosed with the new strain after returning to Brazil from South Africa.

The following day, on Wednesday (12/01), Instituto Adolfo Lutz confirmed a third case of the variant: a 29-year-old man who had been in Ethiopia and landed in Guarulhos airport. All three patients had been vaccinated – the first two with the Janssen vaccine and the third with the Pfizer vaccine.

On Thursday (12/02), two more cases were confirmed in Brasília. There are now five people who have been diagnosed with the Omicron variant in Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro, a 29-year-old woman is being monitored by health authorities. In Minas Gerais, a woman has been hospitalized at Hospital Eduardo de Menezes and is suspected of having contracted the variant.

FSP: MG investiga possível primeiro caso da variante ômicron no estado
O Globo: Rio tem primeiro casos suspeito da ômicron
Exame: SP confirma o terceiro caso da nova variante ômicron
O Globo: SP confirma terceiro caso da nova variante no país.
G1: Ministério da Saúde confirma mais dois casos da Ômicron no país

5. Lula and Geraldo Alckmin discuss possible ticket for 2022

On Tuesday (11/30), during an interview with Rádio Gaúcha, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said that he is currently in talks with former governor and former presidential candidate Geraldo Alckmin. They are supposedly discussing forming a ticket for the 2022 elections, with Lula as the presidential candidate and Alckmin as his vice-presidential candidate.

However, for this to happen, Alckmin must change parties. He is currently a member of PSDB but has been discussing changing his registration to other parties like PSB. According to members of PSDB, Alckmin could be leaving the party due to disagreements with São Paulo state governor and pre-presidential candidate, João Doria.

Lula and Alckmin ran against each other in 2006. Lula was re-elected in that election, defeating Alckmin in the second voting round. Soon after Lula’s interview, Alckmin admitted at a meeting of union leaders that he has been discussing this possibility with Lula.

Valor Econômico: Aliados históricos de Lula dão aval a acordo com Alckmin
UOL: Conversas entre Alckmin e Lula causam desconforto, dia presidente do PSDB
G1: Lula admite conversar com Alckmin sobre possível chapa para 2022
O Globo: Lulalckmin em 2022?