Four presidential candidates are calling for the full or partial repeal of the 2019 Previdência (Social Security) reform. Meanwhile, other contenders suggest changes to control spending, and some keep the current rules in the government programs they have presented.
Repealing the Reform and Proposals for Expansion
Hertz Dias (PSTU), Rui Costa Pimenta (PCO), Edmilson Costa (PCB) and Samara Martins (UP) are the presidential hopefuls who explicitly support repealing the pension reform. All of them propose broader pension systems, with greater coverage, higher benefits and changes to the funding source.
Hertz Dias advocates a 100% public, universal and solidarity-based system, with a lower minimum age, higher benefits and the inclusion of informal and app-based workers. To fund these measures, he suggests collecting debts owed by large companies to the INSS.
Rui Costa Pimenta proposes reverting to the rules in force before the recent reform, with a maximum contribution period of 25 years for women and 30 years for men. Edmilson Costa and Samara Martins, for their part, advocate repealing both the pension and labor reforms, with the latter also suggesting the abolition of the current fiscal framework.
Proposals for Adjustments and Fighting Fraud
In contrast, Romeu Zema (Novo) proposes a definitive pension reform, aligning the rules for the federal government, states, municipalities and professional categories. His proposal includes automatic adjustment of the minimum age in line with life expectancy and financial sustainability, as well as ending compulsory retirement as a disciplinary punishment for civil servants.
Renan Santos (Missão) links Social Security to the need for fiscal adjustment, seeking to save R$ 250 billion a year. Among his measures is decoupling benefits from the minimum wage, with adjustments to be made based on the IPCA.
Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) does not propose repealing the 2019 reform, focusing instead on improving INSS management and fighting fraud. His program cites initiatives already adopted, such as the “INSS sem Fila” (INSS Without Lines) program to digitize services, as well as strengthening mechanisms to prevent abuses in payroll-deductible loans and political appointments in pension funds.
Programs With Few or No Changes to the Rules
The program of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) criticizes the post-2016 reforms, highlighting the weakening of public services and the erosion of job security, but does not propose a full repeal of the 2019 reform. His strategy prioritizes strengthening the public social security system and real increases in the minimum wage, with expanded funding sources and more flexible contributions for workers with discontinuous careers.
Ronaldo Caiado (PSD) does not propose changes to Social Security parameters such as minimum age or contribution period. His focus is on technical governance of pension funds to finance infrastructure investment, free of political interference and with regulatory and tax stability.
Other candidates, such as Wilson Grassi (Democrata), link Social Security to tax reforms, while Augusto Cury (Avante), Clariana Brandão (DC) and Pablo Marçal (PRTB) do not present specific proposals for pension changes.
