LatinNews Daily - 21 October 2025

*Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has appointed federal deputy Guilherme Boulos, of the left-wing Partido Socialismo e Liberdade (PSOL), to be the new secretary-general of the presidency, a cabinet-level role that acts as the liaison between the presidential palace and civil society. Boulos will replace Márcio Macêdo, who is affiliated with the ruling left-wing Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) and was in the role since January 2023. In the municipal elections last year, Boulos unsuccessfully ran for the mayorship of Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo. He has ties to the housing rights movement Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Teto (MTST), which emerged in the 1990s as an urban offshoot of the rural land rights activist group Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST). Boulos’ entry to the cabinet comes amid efforts by Lula to appeal to social activists and his left-wing supporter base. Yesterday Lula launched a new government initiative to offer a total of R$40bn (US$7.4bn) in loans to cover home renovations and repair works for middle-class and lower-middle-class households. The event yesterday to unveil the housing works credit programme was attended by government officials as well as members of the MTST.

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