Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed into law on Tuesday (Mar. 31) the bill that extends paternity leave in Brazil. The extension will occur gradually, increasing from the current five days to 10 days in 2027, 15 days in 2028, and 20 days in 2029.

“It has been a 38-year wait to regulate paternity leave and extend this leave, which currently stands at five days and will then increase to 10, 15, and 20 days. This was a joint achievement of society, Parliament, and our participation,” highlighted Gleisi Hoffmann, head of the Secretariat of Institutional Relations.

“This law will teach men how to bathe a child, how to wake up at night to care for the child when it cries. He’ll have to learn how to change a diaper,” said Lula. “It’s a law I’m very pleased to sign it,” he added.

The bill was passed by the Senate on March 4. The topic, however, had been debated in Congress for 19 years.

Among the arguments in favor of passing the bill is the potential for greater parental involvement in caring for newborns or adopted children.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated Tuesday (Mar. 31) that politics has become a business, adding it is necessary to convince the people that a change in Brazil’s political landscape is possible through the election of good candidates.

Lula held his first cabinet meeting of 2026 today and bid farewell to the ministers who will be leaving their posts to run in the elections this October. At the event, Lula confirmed that Alckmin will run for vice-president again.

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“We have a lot of great politicians today, but the truth is that in many cases, politics has become a business,” he noted. “Political offices come at a high price. Someone told me the other day, ‘A federal representative won’t get elected for less than 50 million reais.’ And if that’s true, we’ve reached the end of any sense of integrity in Brazilian politics,” the president went on to argue.

In Lula’s view, everyone is to blame in this process. In a bid not to “bring anyone into the spotlight,” he said, the necessary changes are not being proposed. “And things just keep getting worse, and today we’ve reached a state of decline, including in some institutions.”

Candidacies

According to the president, of the 37 government ministers, at least 18 will step down to run for elected office in October.

Among them is vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, who also served as Minister of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services.

The president and vice-president do not need to resign from office to run in the upcoming election. If they were running for another office, however, they would need to resign.

Politicians who intend to vie for office have until April 4 to leave their current positions, six months before the first round of the elections, which takes place on October 4.

During the meeting, Lula also emphasized he would not appoint new ministers and that the ministries would be headed by members of the current team, such as the then-executive secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Dario Durigan, who took over after Minister Fernando Haddad stepped down.

“We have confidence in the team you’ve put together,” Lula said. “We have a lot to accomplish by December 31, and it is the duty of those who remain to see it through – to ensure the wheels keep turning without any disruption. We can’t start building a new ministry with only nine months left in our term,” he added.

The first F-39E Gripen fighter jet produced in Brazil was presented Wednesday (Mar. 25) to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The christening ceremony for the supersonic aircraft, produced by Brazil’s plane maker Embraer and the Swedish Saab, took place at the Embraer Gavião Peixoto Airfield, in São Paulo state.

The production of the aircraft on Brazilian soil represents a milestone that places Brazil among “a select group of nations” capable of developing and producing highly complex combat aircraft – a first in Latin America – a note from the Planalto presidential palace says.

During the visit, Lula was also introduced to the eVTOL flying car. This prototype of a fully electric aircraft, which takes off and lands vertically, was developed by Embraer’s subsidiary Eve Air Mobility.

F-39 Gripen Fighter

The Brazilian Air Force believes the development of the F-39 Gripen fighter jet in Brazil will bring major benefits to the country.

It should strengthen air sovereignty, reducing dependence on foreign suppliers and boosting the Defense Industrial Base, as the contract includes technology transfer and the training of Brazilian professionals.

A large number of jobs will be created through this project, which integrates the domestic industry into the sector’s global supply chain, the Air Force stated. The program has generated more than 2 thousand direct jobs and some 10 thousand indirect jobs.

Innovation, technology and defense

Brazil’s vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, who attended the event, noted that the government has made BRL 108 billion available through the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) for projects focused on innovation.

“Whoever masters technology masters the future,” said Alckmin, who also serves as minister of development, industry, trade, and services. “The defense industry is a safeguard for national sovereignty, as well as a leader in industrial development,” he added.

Defense Minister José Múcio highlighted, among the advantages of manufacturing the fighter jet in Brazil, access to cutting-edge technologies, which, he said, has a positive impact on the domestic industry.

“By investing in defense, our industry marks a milestone in maturity and competence, enabling Brazil to position itself as the largest manufacturing hub in Latin America. It will also consolidate our deterrent power, expanding our capacity to guarantee national sovereignty and regional security,” said the minister.