Gilberto Nascimento is elected leader of the evangelical bench amid internal divisions

The evangelical bench of Congress elected, on Tuesday (25), Deputy Gilberto Nascimento (PSD-SP) as the new leader of the group for the 2025-2027 biennium. The decision, made by vote, marks a significant change in the traditional leadership acclamation process, reflecting the growing internal fragmentation of the block.

The evangelical parliamentary front follows one of the most influential in Congress, but faces cohesion challenges, exacerbated by the political polarization between the government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) and former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The dispute between these poles has fierce the divisions in the evangelical group, making consensus difficult.

Birth, elected with 117 votes, surpassed Otoni de Paula (MDB), who received 61 votes. There were five null votes. 183 parliamentarians voted, a front voting record in Congress.

The new leader is considered aligned with conservatism and has the support of Bolsonaro and the PL. Behind the scenes, it is speculated that his candidacy has the backing of Pastor Silas Malafaia, allied close to Bolsonaro, but Nascimento denies any formal bond and presents himself as an independent candidate.

On the other hand, Otoni de Paula, pastor and deputy since 2019, distanced himself from Bolsonaro after the 2022 elections and began to align with the Lula administration. Classified as a representative of the “moderate” and ruling wing, Otoni criticized the former president for trying to turn the evangelical bench into a “pull” of pockets and appropriate evangelical discourse without contemplating the group with positions.

Tuesday’s election is the latest chapter of the growing fragmentation of the evangelical parliamentary front, which had already faced divisions in 2023, when a fierce dispute between Eli Borges (PL-to) and Silas Câmara (Republicans-AM) led to annulment of a vote. At the time, then -President Sostenes Cavalcante annulled the investigation due to inconsistencies, resulting in an agreement to divide the command between the two.

With the high political polarization and the proximity of the 2026 presidential elections, the result of the birth election may shape the political orientation of the evangelical bench in the coming years.