Jaques Wagner

Jaques Wagner began his political career in 1969 in the student movement, when he joined the student union of the Civil Engineering Faculty at the Pontifical Catholic University (PUC-RJ). However, due to persecution by the military dictatorship in the 1970s, he had to abandon his engineering studies and leave Rio de Janeiro. In 1974, he arrived in Bahia and joined the petrochemical industry in the Camaçari complex, where he worked at the Petrochemical Industry Workers' Union (Sindiquímica-BA), holding positions as director and president. During this period, he established a friendship and partnership with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, which continues to this day.

Jaques Wagner was the first president of both the Workers' Party (PT) and the Unified Workers' Central (CUT) in Bahia. In 1990, he was elected federal deputy for the first time and re-elected twice more. With Lula's victory, he assumed the position of Minister of Labor and, later, in 2005, became Minister of Institutional Relations, being responsible for the political coordination of the government and its relations with the National Congress. He also headed the Special Secretariat of the Economic and Social Development Council of the Presidency of the Republic.

In 2006, he was elected Governor of Bahia and re-elected in 2010, having nominated his successor, Rui Costa, in 2014. In the same year, he was appointed by President Dilma Rousseff as Minister of Defense, replacing Celso Amorim. In 2015, he assumed the positions of Minister of the Civil House and Chief Minister of the Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic.

Following the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, Jaques Wagner assumed the executive coordination of CODES (Council for Economic and Social Development) and subsequently became head of the State Secretariat for Economic Development.

In 2018, he was elected Senator with a significant number of votes, totaling 4,253,331 votes.

Jaques Wagner's political trajectory encompasses experiences in both the student movement and trade unionism, in addition to having held prominent positions in the federal and state governments. His close relationship with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his work in strategic ministries demonstrate his influence and importance within the Workers' Party.