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Brazil’s Senate approves Lula’s main bet to tackle criminal gangs
The amendment adds a public security ministry and new federal powers as Lula says intelligence and coordination will target criminal factions and militias.
- On Tuesday, Brazil's Senate approved a constitutional amendment expanding federal authority over public security, creating a Public Security Ministry and directing 10% of oil-funded Social Fund surpluses to policing and prisons.
- President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva secured approval before the 2027 legislative session, when the opposition will hold greater strength in the Senate, marking a significant political victory.
- The Federal Police gained authority to investigate militias and criminal organizations across state borders, while municipalities may establish civilian patrol forces provided they meet training, funding, and coordination requirements.
- Senators voted 38-36 to remove proposals lowering the age of criminal responsibility, avoiding procedural delays; attorney Gabriel Madeira Pontes questioned whether mass incarceration would reduce organized crime.
- Integrating these federal powers with state-controlled security systems poses institutional challenges, as the 1988 Constitution previously assigned public security responsibilities almost exclusively to individual states.
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90 Articles
90 Articles
The central objective of the constitutional amendment is to increase integration and coordination between the Union, states and municipalities
·São Paulo, Brazil
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources90
Leaning Left10Leaning Right3Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution59% Left
Bias Distribution
- 59% of the sources lean Left
59% Left
L 59%
C 23%
R 18%
Factuality
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