LatinNews Daily - 19 December 2025

*Brazil’s Finance Minister Fernando Haddad has announced that he will step down from his role in February so that he can focus on helping President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s re-election campaign next year, ahead of October 2026 general elections. Given Haddad is widely considered a potential political heir to Lula, there had been some media speculation as to whether his decision to resign from his role could be due to possible plans to build up his own political profile and run as a candidate for a different role, perhaps to challenge São Paulo’s right-wing governor Tarcísio de Freitas to a re-match. Haddad was defeated in the second round of the 2022 São Paulo gubernatorial race, and De Freitas has signalled intentions to run for re-election in 2026. However, Haddad said yesterday that his priority next year will be campaigning for Lula and denied speculation that he would run for public office himself. A successor to Haddad will be confirmed in the coming months. One of the main names being floated in the press is the current executive secretary of the finance ministry, Dario Durigan, who has served as Haddad’s second-in-command at the ministry since June 2023.

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