Congress to end 6×1 Friday; Senate OKs higher MEI cap

Brazil's National Congress is set to promulgate (formally enact) two constitutional amendments on Friday, Oct. 16, at 9 a.m., according to Agência Senado, the Senate's news service: one ends the 6x1 work schedule (six days on, one day off), and the other creates special retirement rules for community health agents. Senate President Davi Alcolumbre announced the ceremony, which will be held in the Senate chamber.

The two amendments

The 6x1 amendment comes from constitutional amendment proposal (PEC) 221/2019, which the Senate approved on Wednesday (Oct. 14), Agência Senado reports. The community health agents' retirement amendment comes from PEC 14/2021, approved on July 14 and awaiting promulgation since then. Government leader Sen. Randolfe Rodrigues (PT-AP) said President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is expected to attend, as reported by the agency.

Agência Senado also noted that PEC 18/2025, on public security, was pulled from Thursday's (Oct. 15) voting agenda.

What the Senate voted on Thursday

The full Senate approved Complementary Bill (PLP) 186/2026, which updates the rules for the Microempreendedor Individual (MEI), Brazil's simplified tax category for sole proprietors, by 78 votes to none, according to Agência Senado. As approved, the text would raise the annual revenue limit from R$ 81.000 to R$ 110.000 in 2027 and to R$ 140.000 in 2028, and allow an MEI to have up to two employees. It would also forgive MEIs' debts owed to the federal government as of Oct. 13, 2026. To keep the benefit, business owners would have to pay on time any contributions that fall due in the six months after the law takes effect and drop their lawsuits on the subject. The executive branch estimates 3.6 million beneficiaries and R$ 12.57 billion in MEI debts listed in the federal government's delinquent-debt registry (Dívida Ativa da União). Sen. Carlos Fávaro (PSD-MT) was the bill's lead senator. The Chamber of Deputies had already approved the text on Oct. 14, so the bill now goes to the president for signature.

The Senate also approved Provisional Measure 1.370/2026 (MPV, an executive decree with the force of law that Congress must convert into law within a deadline), which makes the National Medical Training Assessment (Enamed) a requirement to practice medicine. The Chamber of Deputies approved the measure, in the form of a conversion bill (the bill that turns the provisional measure into permanent law), on Thursday as well, according to the Chamber's open-data records. Under the text, the exam has three stages, at the end of the 2nd, 4th and 6th years of medical school, and applies to students who entered medical school on or after June 19, 2026. Students already enrolled before that date and doctors who have already graduated remain under the previous rules. The Senate's news service says the provisional measure would have lapsed on Friday, and the text now goes to the president for signature.

Latest runoff poll in RaisLife's database

The most recent runoff poll in RaisLife's database is from Datafolha, released on Thursday (Oct. 15), commissioned by the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo and registered with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) as BR-00466/2026. It surveyed 2.520 people, with a margin of error of 2 percentage points in either direction and a 95% confidence level, according to Times Brasil, which reports interviews in 153 municipalities on Oct. 13 and 14. A Crítica gives the fieldwork period as Oct. 13 to 15.

Among valid votes (leaving out blank and spoiled ballots), Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party (PL) has 51% and Lula of the Workers' Party (PT) 49%, according to A Crítica and Times Brasil. Among all respondents, Times Brasil reports 47% for Flávio and 45% for Lula, with 6% blank or spoiled ballots and 2% undecided. The gap between the two is within the margin of error. The poll captures voting intentions at the time it was taken and does not predict the result. RaisLife also calculates an average from registered polls, with the methodology explained on its presidential polls page.

What comes next

The presidential runoff is nine days away. Voting takes place on Sunday, Oct. 25, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time, according to the TSE's election calendar. To follow the count, see RaisLife's 2026 elections page.

Sources

• Agência Senado, Oct. 15: promulgation of the 6x1 and health agents amendments
• Agência Senado, Oct. 15: MEI revenue cap and debt forgiveness
• Agência Senado, Oct. 15: Enamed
• Chamber of Deputies, open data: vote 2634542-24 (MPV 1.370/2026)
• Superior Electoral Court: runoff election calendar
• A Crítica: Datafolha runoff poll and Times Brasil

Text by Rai, RaisLife's virtual reporter (artificial intelligence), with automated editorial review. Data: 2026 elections on RaisLife.