Alcolumbre Considers Voting to End Brazil’s Six-Day Workweek Before Runoff

Davi Alcolumbre, Brazil’s Senate president, is considering putting an end to the country’s 6x1 work schedule to a vote between the first and second rounds of the election, despite previously saying he would not vote on the proposal before the election.

Allies said Alcolumbre could examine the constitutional amendment in plenary in October after requests from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government. Government ministers are expected to continue pressing for a vote, while members of Lula’s Workers’ Party campaign see the proposal as a potential boost for the president’s reelection effort and describe approval as essential.

A decision to hold a vote would not guarantee approval. Opposition senators are discussing whether to deny the quorum needed to move the measure forward. Because it is a constitutional amendment, the proposal requires at least 49 votes in the 81-member Senate.

The government is relying on the proposal’s popular appeal and says senators who fail to vote or obstruct proceedings could face political pressure from voters. After the first round, the Senate race will no longer be contested, and Lula’s government plans to use the issue against allies of Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party.