Weekly Report - 15 January 2009 (ISSN 1741-7422)

A split among government-allied parties in congress - ahead of the election for the presidencies of the lower chamber and the senate next month - may undermine the government's stability in the last two years of the Lula administration. President Lula da Silva had brokered an agreement in which his Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) would win support to gain the presidency of the senate in exchange for the backing of the Partido do Movimento Democrático Brasileiro (PMDB) in the lower chamber. But, Lula's efforts foundered on the growing ambition of his allies, particularly the PMDB, as his presidency nears its end and politicians move their attention to the next general elections in 2010.