Romeu Zema's Presidential Plan Proposes Brazil's Exit from Brics and Entry into OECD

Presidential candidate Romeu Zema of the Novo party has released a government plan that proposes withdrawing Brazil from the Brics bloc and resuming the process of joining the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The plan suggests a diplomatic exit from Brics to preserve commercial relations with member countries while rejecting any directions that could compromise Brazil's constitutional and democratic values. According to the proposal, joining the OECD would involve implementing institutional and economic reforms, including adjusting taxation rules, reducing trade barriers, ensuring the sustainability of public accounts, and preventing political interference in state owned companies.

Zema's plan also includes transforming Mercosul into a free trade zone to allow member countries to negotiate direct agreements with other nations. While both reports detail these policy shifts, they frame the motivation differently. A center leaning source emphasizes the economic rationale, noting that campaign members view Brics as having failed to evolve economic cooperation beyond the creation of the New Development Bank (NDB). Meanwhile, a center right leaning source frames the move as a strategic shift toward Western democracies and a direct reversal of the foreign policy orientation of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has prioritized Brics and emerging nations.