Who is Hugo Motta?
Hugo Motta, from Paraíba, entered the Chamber of Deputies in 2011 at the age of 21. He studied medicine, chaired the 2015 Petrobras inquiry committee and led Republicanos in the Chamber from 2023. In February 2025 he was elected Speaker with 444 votes, backed by 17 parties from the PT to the PL, and became the youngest holder of the post since the return of democracy. In August 2026 he said he would support Lula's re-election, citing the coalition aligned with Lula in Paraíba. He was re-elected deputy on 4 October 2026 with more than 123,000 votes. His term as Speaker ends in February 2027.
Previously: Leader of Republicanos in the Chamber of Deputies (from February 2023) · Federal deputy for Paraíba (since 2011) · Chair of the Petrobras inquiry committee (CPI) in 2015
Documented positions
- In September 2025 he listed the income tax exemption for people earning up to R$5,000 among the Chamber's priorities, and said the vote would go ahead on its own.Source: congressoemfoco.com.br
- He defended the PEC da Blindagem as a way to curb alleged Judiciary excesses, and said that if senators did not find it worthwhile, they should vote it down. The Senate later shelved it.Source: timesbrasil.com.br
- He put the Dosimetria bill, which cuts sentences for those convicted over the 8 January attacks and the coup plot, to a vote, and the Chamber approved it 291 to 148 in December 2025.Source: agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br
- On 4 March 2026 the Chamber passed the public security PEC, 461 to 14 in the second round, after he and the rapporteur removed the cut in the age of criminal responsibility.Source: congressoemfoco.com.br
- He scheduled the PEC ending the 6x1 work schedule and capping the week at 40 hours for the plenary on 27 May 2026.Source: diariodepernambuco.com.br
- In July 2026 he criticised a new 25 percent US tariff on Brazilian products and defended the Economic Reciprocity Law as the response.Source: tribunadosertao.com.br
- On 10 August 2026 he declared support for Lula's re-election, citing the alliance in Paraíba; Republicanos nationally stayed neutral.Source: acritica.net
Record
As Speaker he steered a mix of government and opposition priorities: the income tax exemption, the security PEC and the end of the 6x1 week passed alongside the PEC da Blindagem and the sentence-cutting Dosimetria bill. In October 2026 the PSD and others declared support for his re-election as Speaker, a bloc of 271 deputies in the current legislature, while the PL was weighing its own candidate.
Supporters credit him with broad majorities and a predictable agenda. Critics called the PEC da Blindagem the "PEC da impunidade", and the PT's leader called the Dosimetria vote an embrace of coup supporters.
In their words
“Não há justificativa técnica ou comercial que legitime essa agressão”






