Right-wing politicians divided opinions about the country singer’s Gustavo Lima to the Presidency of the Republic in 2026. While some allies of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) rejected the artist’s idea, others highlighted that he is an option if the former president remains ineligible.
This Thursday (2), federal deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) published a video after the news of Gustavo Lima’s pre-candidacy came to light. Starting with a joking tone, the parliamentarian said that the artist could be an alternative to Bolsonaro’s ineligibility.
“What cachaça is this that Gusttavo Lima drank that now he wants to become president?” Despite the ironic tone, the parliamentarian praised the singer’s courage in “showing up” when considering a transition to politics. He even imagined a hypothetical scenario, saying: “Imagine on inauguration day? Ambassador arrived. If you put Leonardo as vice-president, it’s over.”
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Also in a video published on social media, senator Cleitinho Azevedo (Republicanos-MG) stated that the countryman will have his support in any elective candidacy. According to the Minas Gerais native, Brazil needs to elect people who have no history in politics.
“Congratulations, Gusttavo Lima. I wish if more people like you, who are not criminals, who are not thief, who never needed politicians to live, entered politics. So, if you want to run as a candidate for president, governor, senator and federal deputy, you have my support”, stated Cleitinho.
Senator Alessandro Vieira (MDB-SE) criticized people who are “disparaging” the artist’s initiative. For the parliamentarian, Gusttavo Lima’s pre-candidacy shows that the lack of political representation affects “everyone from ordinary citizens to millionaire country people”.
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“Anyone who belittles Gusttavo Lima’s speech about a presidential candidacy is wrong. It makes the mistake of not understanding that in democracy anyone can be a candidate, but mainly of not realizing the lack of political representation that afflicts everything from ordinary citizens to millionaire country people”, said Vieira on X (formerly Twitter).
Close allies of Bolsonaro, deputies Captain Alberto Neto (PL-AM) and José Medeiros (PL-MT) adopted different rhetoric than other right-wing politicians. They refuted the countryman’s idea of running for President, stating that he should be an “ambassador”. The term refers to the nickname by which Gusttavo Lima is known in the music world.
Gusttavo Lima seeks political groups to build his candidacy
Despite not yet being affiliated with a party, the countryman stated in an interview with the portal Metropolisesreleased this Thursday, which has already begun seeking dialogues with political groups that share its objectives.
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During the 2022 presidential election, Gusttavo Lima was one of Bolsonaro’s main supporters, even visiting him at Palácio da Alvorada alongside other country artists, such as Zezé Di Camargo and Chitãozinho.
In recent years, Gusttavo Lima has faced investigations into million-dollar contracts with city halls and accusations of money laundering through online betting, which led to a preventive arrest order in September 2024, revoked before it was fulfilled. The Public Ministry of Pernambuco issued an opinion in October stating that it found no evidence of illegality in the financial operations carried out by the singer.
