Brazil’s rightward shift in Congress could reshape Latin America’s powerhouse

Brazil's congressional elections have shifted the legislature further right, regardless of whether Flávio Bolsonaro or Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wins the presidential runoff, potentially reshaping the nation's policies. Right-wing and centrist lawmakers uniting could command a simple majority in the lower house and possibly a supermajority to change the constitution, with similar dynamics expected in the Senate. Bolsonaro's Liberal Party gained 23 lower house seats and nearly doubled its Senate representation. The right-leaning Congress aims to impeach Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, curtail individual justice rulings, and discuss term limits. Lawmakers also support reducing the criminal responsibility age to 16, chemical castration for certain crimes, and halting public spending, while seeking to loosen environmental licensing and challenge Indigenous land demarcations.