The new minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Guilherme Boulos, used social media to thank him for the invitation to occupy the position in the Executive. Elected federal deputy for the PSOL of São Paulo with more than 1 million votes, Boulos said that his mission now will be to “help put the government on the streets”, listening to popular demands.
“I thank President Lula for the invitation to be minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic. My main mission will be to help put the government on the streets, promoting achievements and listening to popular demands in all states of Brazil”, posted the new minister.
“My great school of life and struggle was the Brazilian social movement and I will now take this learning to Planalto. President, your trust will be honored with a lot of work”, he added. Boulos takes the position in place of Márcio Macêdo.
As head of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, his main role will be to assist the president in his duties, coordinating and dialoguing with civil society – especially social movements, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), class entities and youth.
Biography
Boulos is 43 years old and has a political trajectory focused on urban activism. In the new position, the challenges will be political articulation between the Palácio do Planalto, social movements and civil society.
The new minister was born in São Paulo, more precisely in the Pinheiros region, on June 19, 1982. He is the youngest son of infectious disease doctors and university professors Maria Ivete and Marcos Guilherme Boulos.
His first years of study were in private schools when, in high school, he asked his parents to transfer him to a public school.
His interest in politics ended up leading him to join the student movement at the age of 15.
At the Fernão Dias Paes State School, he created a student union, participated in protests against the management and carried out literacy work for young people and adults in communities in the capital.
He entered the philosophy course at USP in 2000. He specialized in clinical psychology at PUC and became a master in psychiatry at USP. In his professional life, he was also a public school teacher and writer, having published the books “Why do we occupy?”; “Which side are you on?“; and “No Fear of the Future“.
Social movement and politics
At the age of 19, Boulos went to live in an occupation of the Homeless Workers Movement (MTST) – a group of which he would become a leader, dedicating himself for decades to the fight for decent housing and urban reform. It was there that he met his partner, Natália Szermeta, with whom he had two daughters: Sofia and Laura.
Affiliated to the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL), he gained national notoriety when he was a candidate for President of the Republic in 2018, at just 35 years old. He ran twice for mayor of São Paulo, in 2020 and 2024.
He was elected federal deputy in 2022, with more than 1 million votes, becoming not only the most voted candidate in the state, but the second most voted in the entire country.
