Right-wing governors gained, with the crisis in , the chance to reissue an attempt at unity and detach themselves from the Bolsonarista agenda through amnesty, assess members of this political field and managers’ interlocutors.
For them, there is now an opportunity for governors to work on a “real life” agenda, related to an issue in which they usually perform well in public opinion: public security.
Led by Romeu Zema (Novo), from Minas Gerais, and Jorginho Mello (), from Santa Catarina, the right-wing governors organized themselves into two meetings, in an attempt to revive the situation.
The first meeting was more restricted, led by Zema. They participated in a video call, in addition to the miner and Jorginho, the governor of , (Republicans); that of Goiás, (); and Mato Grosso, Mauro Mendes (União Brasil).
Of the five participants, three are considered presidential candidates — with Tarcísio being the only one who denies this intention and insists on being a candidate for re-election.
Jorginho organized a broader meeting, with other colleagues, in Rio de Janeiro, with (PL). The idea will be to propose measures and make help available to the local government.
Both right-wing governors and their allies came out in defense of the operation that killed at least 119 people, becoming the deadliest in the history of Rio de Janeiro.
On social media, the president of the PT, Edinho Silva, stated that it was “regrettable that governors, in the saga of attacking President Lula, set up a platform over the bodies of hundreds of dead people, that they hold a rally over the tears of hundreds of mothers who have not yet buried their children.”
“It will not be with politics that we will defeat organized crime, but with competence, as was done in the Hidden Carbon operation”, he declared.
An assistant who follows the dialogues between right-wing governors considered that, although there is an alignment of speeches, there are still doubts as to whether concrete measures could emerge from the meeting, especially because not all managers in this political field are engaged in the conflict.
The expectation, in this assistant’s assessment, is that Congress will be able to better address this discussion – for example, by advancing the project that classifies factions as terrorism.
On Tuesday, while Rio de Janeiro was experiencing chaos with roads closed after the operation, Castro complained about the lack of support from the Lula government.
Hours later, the Minister of Justice, Ricardo Lewandowski, stated that the state had not asked for help and should assume its responsibility.
To journalists on Wednesday, Castro said he will not be “crying” because he does not have support from the federal government and classified the operation as a success, with the exception of the police deaths — four so far.
Zema, in turn, said that factions are taking over Brazil and recalled what he said last week. At the time, the PT member said that drug dealers are victims of users — he later recanted and said that the statement was “misplaced.”
In addition to defending the operation, which would be “complacent with crime, allied with the factions”. “It’s not a right-wing agenda, it’s a population agenda,” he said. “It’s an issue that only we are committed to.”
Asked whether joining forces with the crisis in Rio de Janeiro would be a way to turn the page on amnesty, which dominated right-wing speeches all year, Caiado said: “I don’t see it as exclusionary. As governor, I focus on what protects my population. I don’t waste time with conclusions, January 8th is still on the agenda today.”
published a video on its networks on Wednesday night stating that public security should not be a field of ideological war. He defended that his government in RS would be an example on the subject and demanded leadership and coordination from the federal government, adding that combating crime must be an absolute priority for the President of the Republic.
“Waiting for the much-publicized Security PEC cannot be a subterfuge for the federal government to exempt itself from this responsibility,” said Leite, arguing that the current constitutional provisions would already give authority on the matter to the Union.
Surroundings of Tarcísio see opportunity
Tarcísio, who sought to stop the pressure this month to run as a candidate for the Planalto, did not speak out. But members of the government base in Alesp (Legislative Assembly) said with reservation that, by taking public security to the center of the news, the crisis in Rio de Janeiro gave the right the chance to obtain popular support through practical proposals.
A deputy close to the governor recalled that Lula had been reversing disapproval ratings through proposals such as income tax exemption, while the right was stuck with the intransigent defense of amnesty, which had caused Tarcísio to lose support even among São Paulo’s business community.
Now, however, there is room to win over voters by defending hard-line projects against crime.
Tarcísio’s communications team also remained silent on the matter. In the afternoon, the government announced a police operation in ABC, with 1,500 agents, with “the use of 18 drones, spread out in strategic points with the highest criminal incidence”, with no deaths.
On the other hand, the governor authorized his Secretary of Public Security, Guilherme Derrite (PP), a licensed federal deputy, to return to the Chamber to report on the project that classifies the factions as terrorist organizations — in May, the Donald Trump government, which Tarcísio supports, proposed that Brazil classify the PCC and the CV as narco-terrorist organizations, but the Ministry of Justice refused to do so.
