Overview
- The National Congress, which on Thursday overturned Lula’s January veto by 318–144 in the Chamber and 49–24 in the Senate, enacted a “dosimetry” law that lowers penalties for anti-democratic crimes and could shorten jail time for hundreds of defendants.
- Brazil’s Senate, in a rare secret ballot on Wednesday, rejected Attorney General Jorge Messias for the Supreme Federal Court by 42–34, leaving a vacancy that forces Lula to propose a new nominee.
- The new statute changes how overlapping offenses are tallied by stopping the stacking of coup-related crimes, grants one- to two‑thirds sentence cuts for those without leadership or financing roles, and allows faster progression to looser prison regimes once a portion of the term is served.
- For Jair Bolsonaro, who holds a 27‑year conviction and is on temporary house arrest for health reasons, legal experts say the law could move him to a less strict regime in roughly two to four years, and on Friday he was in surgery for a shoulder repair with court authorization.
- Opposition leaders cast the votes as proof of Lula’s waning sway, allies warn of court fights that could test the law at the Supreme Court, and the setbacks reshape the campaign terrain as Lula faces Flávio Bolsonaro in a tight October race.