Lula attends Sept. 7 parade with heads of all three branches as crowd chants against six-day workweek

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva shared the Sept. 7 Independence Day parade with the heads of Brazil’s three branches of government, including Supreme Court President Edson Fachin, as tensions continued to surround the court.

Senate President Davi Alcolumbre and Chamber of Deputies President Hugo Motta stood alongside Lula. Attorney General Jorge Messias and Federal Police Director-General Andrei Rodrigues also attended. At one point during the ceremony, Messias and Rodrigues passed close to each other without greeting.

As Lula arrived, part of the crowd chanted for an end to the 6x1 work schedule, which requires six days of work for one day off. Others chanted “olé olá, Lula.” The parade focused on national sovereignty, combating violence against women and the 2027 Women’s World Cup, along with the traditional participation of the Armed Forces.

The government used the slogan “The Force That Unites Brazil” for this year’s ceremony, echoing a theme Lula has emphasized during his third term and in his reelection campaign. The slogan appeared on materials placed along Brasília’s Esplanade of Ministries, where the event took place.

The parade was more restrained than in previous years because it fell during the campaign period. Electoral restrictions barred the distribution of Independence-themed items, including caps carrying the year’s message, and Lula needed authorization to address the country in a traditional televised and radio speech. Meanwhile, Lula’s main rival, Flávio Bolsonaro, organized a demonstration on São Paulo’s Avenida Paulista. A recent Datafolha poll put the two in a technical tie. The event also unfolded as revelations about conversations between Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Banco Master owner Daniel Vorcaro fueled parallel protests against the justice.