Renan Santos

Santos was born on February 14, 1984, in São Paulo, São Paulo.^[1] He attended the Law School of the University of São Paulo, but ended up quitting it, although he was intensely involved in student politics during the period. He was a member of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party from 2010 to 2015.^[2] In Vinhedo, alongside other people, he founded the "Renew Vinhedo Movement", a young libertarian activist group, whose main characteristic was the use of the internet and an irreverent aesthetic to address their issues.^[3] The movement had connections with the political group of the former mayor of Vinhedo, Milton Serafim, and his successor, Jaime Cruz, as well as councilor Rubens Alves, who was the father of one of its members.^[4][5]

In that same year, members of the Renew Vinhedo Movement, including Santos, joined members of the group known as Students for Freedom and founded the Free Brazil Movement, based on common dissatisfaction with Dilma Rousseff's victory in that year's presidential election.^[4]

The Free Brazil Movement was founded in 2014, in the context of protests against the increase in public transportation fares and, subsequently, mobilizations for the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff. Santos, alongside Kim Kataguiri, Fernando Holiday, Rubinho Nunes and others, became one of the main leaders of the movement.^[6] They became known for their ability to organize national protests with large turnouts, using social media as a tool for mobilization.

Santos and other members of the Free Brazil Movement decided to call for protests shortly after the headquarters of Editora Abril was graffitied by left-wing activists, following the publication of the cover of Veja featuring Lula and Rousseff and the caption "They knew everything" - a reference to the plea bargains of money launderer Alberto Youssef, within the scope of Operation Car Wash.^[7]

At the time, according to Santos himself, the Free Brazil Movement concluded that Brazil was undergoing a "Venezuelization" escalation. This was the movement's first protest, which focused on: fraud in the 2014 elections, the Workers' Party use of public funds to finance campaigns, and freedom of the press. The protest, held at the São Paulo Museum of Art, drew approximately 2,500 people.^[8]

Santos participated in popular protests that took place in various regions of Brazil, the main objectives of which were to protest against the Dilma Rousseff government and corruption. Millions of people took to the streets in at least 250 Brazilian cities in the first protests on March 13, 2016, becoming the largest protest in Brazilian history.^[9] At the time, the Movement declared itself non-partisan, but Santos was caught on camera in February 2016 admitting that the Movement already had the support and funding of major political parties, such as Brazilian Social Democracy Party, Brazilian Democratic Movement, Democrats, and Solidarity.^[2]

Following the March 2016 protests, Santos and other Movement members began a march from São Paulo to Brasília, calling for Dilma Rousseff's impeachment. Dubbed the "March for Freedom," it left São Paulo on April 24 and traveled three states and over a thousand kilometers over the course of 33 days, arriving in Brasília on May 27.^[10]

For years, the Free Brazil Movement supported candidates from various parties, such as Democrats, Podemos, and Patriota. Figures like Kim Kataguiri and Arthur do Val were elected representatives under traditional parties, but without their own party directly representing the movement.^[11]

Faced with this scenario, Santos spearheaded the proposal to create a new political party. In 2024, it was officially announced as Mission Party.^[12] The name was chosen to convey a sense of purpose, transformation, and political engagement, distancing itself from traditional acronyms that, according to Santos, "carry vices of old politics."^[13]

Mission was registered with the Superior Electoral Court after collecting the necessary signatures, a process that Santos helped coordinate.^[12] In statements to the press, Santos stated that the party intends to launch candidates for all positions in 2026, including the Presidency.^[13] In addition, the party launched the Yellow Book, programmatic material that systematizes its proposals.