Who is Romeu Zema?
Romeu Zema, born in 1964, entered politics with the Novo party and governed Minas Gerais from 2019, winning re-election in 2022. He resigned on 22 March 2026 to seek the presidency, and Vice-Governor Mateus Simões took over. His programme, launched in April under the slogan 'O Brasil sem intocáveis', combined privatisation, tax cuts and limits on the Supreme Court. In the first round on 4 October 2026 he finished sixth, with 326,486 votes or 0.27 percent. The next day he endorsed Flávio Bolsonaro against Lula, and Lula won the 25 October runoff.
Previously: Governor of Minas Gerais (January 2019 to 22 March 2026) · Novo presidential candidate (2026)
Documented positions
- At Novo's July 2026 convention he said the aim is to privatise everything, with 'no sacred cows', and to revisit the pension reform and review social programmes.Source: opovo.com.br
- In August 2026 he said he would privatise even the Correios and that the state should focus on security, health and education.Source: opovo.com.br
- His programme would take Brazil out of BRICS, join the OECD at once, make Mercosur a free-trade zone, end public-sector supersalaries and cut taxes on loans and companies.Source: dgabc.com.br
- In September 2026 he called ending the 6x1 work schedule 'populist in an election year' and proposed an hourly work schedule instead.Source: metropoles.com
- He has said he wants to widen the situations in which teenagers can legally work, and that benefits should be conditioned on accepting formal jobs.Source: mais.opovo.com.br
- His programme would end individual Supreme Court rulings, make impeachment of justices mandatory when a Senate majority backs it, abolish privileged forum and raise penalties for corruption.Source: poder360.com.br
- In November 2024 his government sent the Minas Gerais assembly two bills to privatise Cemig and Copasa.Source: brasildefato.com.br
- On 5 October 2026 he endorsed Flávio Bolsonaro for the runoff, saying he would vote against the PT.Source: diariodepernambuco.com.br
Record
As governor, Zema pursued the privatisation of state companies, but the Cemig and Copasa bills depended on a constitutional amendment to waive the popular referendum required by state law, which was stalled in committee. In a May 2024 popular plebiscite, about 95 percent of the more than 300,000 participants voted to keep the companies public, according to Brasil de Fato.
His presidential campaign drew criticism over his remarks on adolescent work. Guilherme Boulos called them an act of cowardice. Zema says privatisation would lower interest rates faster, and he described himself as very satisfied with his result.
In their words
“Privatizar tudo. Para mim, não tem vaca sagrada.”
