Overview
- The 30‑day window, set by the TSE from March 5 to April 3 under Article 22‑A of the Party Law, lets holders of proportional mandates change parties without risking their seats.
- The rule covers federal, state and district deputies finishing their terms; it does not apply now to city councilors and is unnecessary for majoritarian offices such as governors, senators and the president.
- The Chamber of Deputies will run mostly remote voting via the Infoleg system until April 3, with in‑person sessions only from March 16 to 20, leaving Congress largely empty during negotiations.
- Union Brasil faces an expected exodus that lawmakers estimate at about 20 departures, with figures such as Efraim Filho and Danilo Forte among those negotiating moves to PL, PSD, Novo or PSDB.
- Before the window opened, 48 federal deputies had already switched parties, with PL posting the largest losses while Republicanos, PSD and PP registered gains, and analysts expect Centrao parties to attract more deputies due to resources and structure.