Senator Humberto Costa took over on Friday (7) the presidency of the PT as an interim in place of Gleisi Hoffmann, who will take office as chief minister of the Institutional Relations Secretariat next Monday, 10. After being acclaimed, Humberto said the party’s main challenge is to reverse the fall of popularity of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and build the internal unit.
“We will contribute to overcome this moment of difficulty that we are living in terms of government popularity and unite the PT for the process of direct election, with a vote of affiliates in July,” said the senator. “It will be a great renewal process to reach the 2026 elections with our presidential candidate for a new term.”
In the farewell, Gleisi cried. “I leave the PT presidency, but the PT does not leave me,” she said, in a choked voice, at the party’s national executive meeting. Gleisi had commanded the PT since July 2017. During yesterday’s meeting there were 32 demonstrations of leaders in honor of the future minister, who will also graduate from the position of federal deputy.
Gleisi also highlighted the importance of allied parties in the government base of the Government in Congress. When she was in charge of the PT, she made much criticism of the center, mainly because of the “excessive influence” of this block on the Planalto Palace, and was always considered radical.
Gratitude
Gleisi received a sign of thanks from colleagues. “Under its firm and courageous driving, the PT continued strong in the struggle for the rights of the Brazilian people, in defense of national sovereignty and in the construction of a fairer and more egalitarian country,” wrote representatives of party secretariats.
Humberto will summon the national directory within 60 days. It is a requirement of the Statute, in case of resignation or license of the president, to officialize the name of the substitute. On July 6, the PT will promote direct elections to renew its direction across the country.
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Like Lula, who faces the worst period of all his mandates, the PT is experiencing a crisis, divided into several wings that do not understand themselves on the direction of party and government. As Estadão showed, there are those who preach a shift on the left and others who advocate the need for dialogue with all sectors to end polarization in the country.
The former mayor of Araraquara Edinho Silva is Lula’s favorite to command the PT from July, but his candidacy has faced resistance in his own political group because he propose more dialogue and less confrontation. With Racha, a PT wing now wants Humberto to enter the dispute with Edinho in July, but so far, he has not expressed interest in this duel.
Commitment
“My commitment is a famping mandate, even so that I can fulfill my main responsibility, which is to try to make this process of internal election democratically and be the national mobilization of our affiliates,” said Humberto. “We want to strengthen the party for the 2026 dispute.”
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At the meeting of the PT National Executive yesterday, only the leftist tendency opened divergence about Humberto’s method of choice. Natália Sena, representative of the current, recorded in minutes that the prerogative of choosing Gleisi’s successor should fit the national directory from now as the PT has five vice-presidents, without hierarchy between them. Humberto is one of those names.
“The convening of a meeting of the PT executive to approve a name chosen by CNB (current building a new Brazil) is not a ‘noble gesture’; In fact, it is a mistaken method (…). Not having done this is also revealing the conception of party that prevails in the current majority, ”criticized the leader.
Humberto’s nomination to take over the PT as an interim was decided on the night of last Thursday at a CNB meeting, which is a majority in the party. There was no vote on the choice at the executive meeting. CNB is the tendency of Lula, Gleisi, Humberto, Edinho and most of the PT ministers who are part of the Esplanada, such as Fernando Haddad (farm).
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In the chamber
The government leader in the House, José Guimarães (PT-CE), is also one of the party’s vice presidents and even named Gleisi’s place, but Lula’s group opted for Humberto. Apparently, Guimarães will remain as a government leader in the House. “Our feeling is that his continuity in this role is good for the PT,” said the party’s acting president.
