BRICS: weekly briefing
20 Oct – 27 Oct 2026
Top stories
- BRICS Parliamentary Forum opens in New Delhi under India's chairship (newsonair.gov.in, 27 Oct) — The 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum met in New Delhi on 26–27 October. Om Birla, Narendra Modi and other leaders discussed people-centric development, artificial intelligence and counter-terrorism, and the forum closed with a joint statement.
- Lula wins fourth term in Brazil; Kremlin cites BRICS role (Al Jazeera, 26 Oct) — Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defeated Flavio Bolsonaro in a run-off. Bolsonaro has called for the vote to be annulled over a two-hour voting extension. The Kremlin praised Lula's contribution to BRICS, and Chinese and Indian reactions also referred to the bloc.
- Iran's parliament speaker cancels Delhi trip to BRICS forum (Outlook India, 24 Oct) — Iran's embassy in India said Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf would not attend the BRICS Parliamentary Forum. The embassy gave no detailed reason and did not say who would lead Iran's delegation instead.
- Ghana's president defends BRICS partnership bid amid debate (TVC News, 21 Oct) — President John Dramani Mahama defended Ghana's move to seek BRICS partnership, saying it would broaden development ties without undermining traditional relationships. Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said Ghana would initially seek partner-country status rather than full membership.
- India exempts New Development Bank rupee bond interest from tax (Economic Times, 20 Oct) — India's Central Board of Direct Taxes exempted interest on the New Development Bank's rupee-denominated Maharajah bonds from tax deduction. The bank says the programme aims to fund projects in local currency and limit exchange-rate risk.
Trends
This week's coverage centres on BRICS's parliamentary track and its expansion debate, with a development-finance step that continues last week's focus on alternative funding. Ghana's bid, carried over from last week, drew a presidential defence framing BRICS as a route to diversified partnerships. The Delhi forum also featured Iran's officially unexplained absence, a story that sits apart from the bloc's institutional agenda. Lula's election win stands largely apart as a national-politics story, though the Kremlin cited his BRICS role. Compared with last week's Russia-Iran coordination and Malaysia's membership track, the focus has moved from executive alignment toward legislative diplomacy and national politics.
What it means (opinion)
Opinion, for the site: the week suggests BRICS is widening its public face through parliaments and membership debates, but its cohesion remains uneven. Iran's unexplained absence from Delhi, and India's reported border face-offs with China, show that member and partner relations can strain the forum's language on peace and dialogue. Lula's re-election may strengthen Brazil's voice in the bloc, and the Kremlin's praise signals Moscow's interest in that outcome. Next week, watch whether Iran names a replacement delegate or explains its absence, whether Brazil's government signals its BRICS priorities after the disputed vote, and whether Ghana clarifies the status it seeks. Those steps will show whether expansion and institution-building are moving together.
AI-assisted summary of public reporting; the analysis is opinion. Sources are linked above.