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Romeu Zema says Senate is “cowardly” over STF crisis and calls for Brazil to leave BRICS

From Estadão · () Portuguese

Translated from Portuguese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Context piece
  • Brazilian presidential candidate Romeu Zema accused the Senate of cowardice over the crisis involving the Supreme Federal Court and said Brazil should leave BRICS.
  • Zema said Brazil should welcome Donald Trump’s efforts against organized crime in the Americas and criticized the state’s response to Trump’s tariffs.
  • He also argued that many Brazilians live under the control of organized-crime factions and discussed voters’ limited knowledge of the electoral process.

Brazilian presidential candidate Romeu Zema called the Senate “cowardly” in the face of the crisis involving the Supreme Federal Court and said Brazil should leave the BRICS group.

Elections are like a menu

· Romeu ZemaZema used the comparison while discussing voters’ limited knowledge of the electoral process and his campaign’s low polling numbers.

Speaking in an interview broadcast by Veja on Thursday, Zema also discussed the 2026 election, saying voters did not understand the voting process. In response to a question about his low polling numbers, he compared elections to a menu and said voters did not know what was available.

Zema illustrated his point with a personal anecdote: “For example, I went to a hotel that was being renovated, and the construction workers did not recognize me.”

For example, I went to a hotel that was being renovated, and the construction workers did not recognize me.

· Romeu ZemaZema gave the anecdote as an example of what he described as Brazilians’ lack of knowledge.

On foreign policy, he said he was less concerned about possible U.S. intervention in Brazil than about organized crime. “At least 60 million Brazilians are living under the tutelage of organized-crime factions, much more than under an intervention,” he said. Zema added that Brazil should cooperate with other countries and welcomed Donald Trump’s stated intention to fight organized crime in the Americas.

At least 60 million Brazilians are living under the tutelage of organized-crime factions, much more than under an intervention.

· Romeu ZemaZema made the comparison while answering a question about possible U.S. intervention in Brazil.

The Novo candidate also criticized Brazil’s response to Trump’s tariffs, saying the state had handled them incorrectly. He said Brazil had “no affinity” with BRICS countries and should withdraw from the bloc. Brazil will hold its presidential, gubernatorial, Senate and lower-house elections on Oct. 4, 2026.

No affinity

· Romeu ZemaZema used the phrase to describe Brazil’s relationship with BRICS countries and argue that Brazil should leave the bloc.
About this summary

Originally published by Estadão in Portuguese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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