The Brazilian Communist Party (PCB), in a statement titled “Let’s Turn the Tide and Win the Second Round!”, called on its members and supporters to join the campaign of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in order to defeat far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro in the second round of Brazil’s 2026 presidential election.
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Brazilian Communist Party calls for second round campaign while maintaining independent communist line
Brazilian Communist Party on second round of elections
The party stressed that this support did not constitute unconditional endorsement of Lula’s political line and that the PCB would maintain its political, programmatic and organisational independence.
The PCB described the first-round result as a serious setback for popular forces and evidence of the far right’s growing strength. According to the party, this trend cannot be explained solely by the right’s propaganda capacity. It also reflects the limitations of class-compromise politics, alliances with big business and conservative sectors, and the failure to adequately address the everyday problems facing working people.
Economic and Social Demands
The PCB argued that the second-round campaign should not focus exclusively on the dangers posed by the far right. It called for working-class demands to be placed at the centre of the campaign, including:
- Higher wages and shorter working hours.
- Abolition of the six-day-on, one-day-off working schedule (the 6Ă—1 system).
- Stronger public healthcare and education services.
- Measures to address housing and public transport problems.
- Action against high interest rates and household indebtedness.
- Defence of national sovereignty and workers’ rights.
The party also argued that the campaign should extend beyond electoral propaganda. It called for meetings in neighbourhoods, workplaces, schools and universities, as well as direct engagement with undecided voters, those who abstained in the first round and those who voted as a form of protest. The PCB urged that this mobilisation be transformed into lasting popular organisation that would continue after the election.
Maintaining an Independent Communist Political Line
The statement’s central message was that defeating the far right at the ballot box is compatible with maintaining an independent communist political line. While calling for active participation in Lula’s campaign, the PCB criticised an approach centred on fiscal discipline and reassuring business interests. It argued that the concrete demands of working people must become the campaign’s priority.
The party also called for the struggle to continue after the election through social movements and workers’ organisations.