Sabino to Leave Tourism Ministry After União Brasil Ultimatum as Lula Weighs Successor

Overview

• Celso Sabino told President Lula he will submit his resignation after the president returns from the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 25.
• Government allies are floating successors that include the ministry’s executive secretary Ana Carla Machado Lopes and Embratur president Marcelo Freixo, with Pará governor Helder Barbalho pushing to keep a Pará name and the PDT seeking the portfolio.
• The ultimatum stems from press reports alleging a link between União Brasil president Antônio Rueda and the PCC, which he and the party deny, as the Planalto rejects claims of government involvement and Gleisi Hoffmann criticized the party’s note.
• Sabino’s exit increases pressure on Sport Minister André Fufuca, from the PP–União federation, to also step down, though his future remains under negotiation.
• The vacancy comes weeks before COP30 in Belém and would make Tourism the most frequently changed ministry in Lula’s third term.