Lula Travels to COP With Ministers and Ambassadors but Without Brazilian Congressional Leaders - Folha de S.Paulo

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva departed on Monday (9) for COP31, the United Nations climate conference, in Turkey. He was accompanied by ministers and ambassadors, but the leaders of Brazil's Congress were not part of his delegation.

Brazil's participation in COP is particularly significant, as the previous summit was held in Belém, in the country's north. Lula is expected to use the event to defend a multilateral agenda.

Lula had invited the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), and the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP), to accompany him to COP. He had hoped to use the trip to build closer ties with congressional leaders and consult them about a cabinet reshuffle for his next term.

Motta thanked him for the invitation but said he could not spend a week away from Brasília. He needs to coordinate his reelection efforts and manage the tight voting schedule through the end of the year. Alcolumbre faces the same dilemma, with an even more complicated outlook for remaining Senate president.