Who is Valdemar Costa Neto?
Valdemar Costa Neto, born in 1949, was first elected federal deputy in 1990 and has led the Liberal Party since 2000. He resigned his seat in 2005 amid the mensalão scandal, was re-elected in 2006 and 2010, and kept running the party. In the elections of 4 October 2026 the party won 121 of 513 Chamber seats and 19 of the 54 Senate seats up for election, the largest bench in both houses. On 5 October he said the PL would back Senator Rogério Marinho for Senate president and rule out supporting Davi Alcolumbre.
Previously: Federal deputy (elected 1990, resigned 2005; re-elected 2006 and 2010)
Documented positions
- In November 2022 he said the PL would be in opposition to Lula's incoming government, and named Jair Bolsonaro as the party's candidate for 2026.Source: moneytimes.com.br
- In the same remarks he said the election had counted but tied any further view to the armed forces' report on voting machines, and that the party had no plan to challenge the result in court.Source: moneytimes.com.br
- In February 2026 he said the PL would press Flávio Bolsonaro for a structured economic programme and suggested consulting figures from the previous government such as Paulo Guedes.Source: moneytimes.com.br
- He told a business event in São Paulo in February 2026 that either the PL wins the election or Bolsonaro stays imprisoned for eight more years without having committed a crime.Source: revistaoeste.com
- Before the 2026 vote reporting said the PL needed deals with other parties to approve an amnesty for the 8 January convicts and the impeachment of Supreme Court ministers.Source: gazetadopovo.com.br
- On 5 October 2026 he said the PL would back Rogério Marinho for Senate president in 2027, ruled out supporting Davi Alcolumbre and tied Marinho's chances to a Flávio Bolsonaro presidency.Source: congressoemfoco.com.br
- He said the PL would resist Hugo Motta's re-election as Chamber president, and that the party's negotiations should include support for Flávio Bolsonaro in the runoff.Source: sbtnews.sbt.com.br
Record
Valdemar Costa Neto was convicted by the Supreme Court in the mensalão case in 2013 of passive corruption and money laundering, with a sentence of 7 years and 10 months. He served 11 months in the semi-open regime before house arrest, and Congresso em Foco reports the sentence was pardoned in 2016. In February 2024 the Federal Police arrested him in flagrante for illegal possession of a firearm found during a search in the coup-plot inquiry; the case's outcome was not found. On 10 July 2026 Justice Flávio Dino froze R$119.2 million of his assets in an investigation of parliamentary amendments the police say he steered without holding office. He has not been convicted in that case, and his defence denies any crime.
Supporters credit him with turning the PL into Congress's largest bloc. Critics, including Dino in his decision, say he held influence over public funds with no legal basis.
