Bolsonaro's acronym, PL has lost 13 seats in the Chamber since 2023

The Liberal Party (PL) , the party of former President Jair Bolsonaro , has seen its seats in the Chamber of Deputies shrink. The largest party in the chamber began the legislative session with 99 members, but has since lost 13 of those seats.

This week alone, the party suffered three more losses. Representatives Silvia Waiãpi (PL-AP) and Sonize Barbosa (PL-AP) lost their seats after the Board of Directors acted in compliance with a Supreme Court ruling regarding new rules on electoral surpluses .

Last Thursday (31), the PL decided to expel federal deputy Antônio Carlos Rodrigues after he criticized the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and praised minister Alexandre de Moraes .

A CNN survey found that, since the beginning of the current legislature, in February 2023, the reasons for the losses in the PL bench include party migrations, expulsions and loss of mandate.

After leaving Bolsonaro's party, four congressmen elected by the PL joined the PP (Progressives), while the Republicans welcomed three and the Novo party two. PSB, PRD, and MDB each added one.

Conversely, only two parties joined the PL. The current opposition leader, Congressman Zucco, left the Republicans. Ricardo Guidi, meanwhile, left the PSD (Social Democratic Party) and followed suit.

Speaking to CNN , Sóstenes Cavalcante (RJ), leader of the PL's caucus in the Chamber of Deputies, believes the situation is related to the party's "ideological shift." "The PL has historically been a centrist party that, with President Bolsonaro's arrival in 2022, decided to become the party of the right," he emphasized.

Sóstenes reports that the party's national president, Valdemar da Costa Neto, gave permission for several parliamentarians to change parties, which would not occur in all parties.

"These are people who are in the Republicans, Podemos, Progressistas, União Brasil, PSD... several members of parliament in these parties want to join the PL, but the presidents haven't given their consent," he said.

Sóstenes estimates that the bench will reach 110 deputies after the party window.

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In absolute numbers, the PL caucus lost the most representatives. Still, it maintains its title as the largest party group in the Chamber of Deputies. See the chart: