The role of (PP-SP) as rapporteur of the bill against criminal factions displeased Bolsonarists and, in their opinion, opened space for another name from the group in the race for the Senate in 2026, the vice-mayor of , Colonel Mello Araújo (PL).
Allies of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) claim that Derrite slipped by failing to create a consensus on the legal viability of his project before presenting it to society, which opened the door to criticism and criticism.
The increase in penalties for criminals and legal guarantees for security forces are historic flags of the right and, within the group, there was an expectation that Derrite would take advantage of the project as an electoral asset to seek a seat in the Senate.
The moment was considered favorable, especially after the January attack against the Red Command, on October 28, which left 121 people dead.
A Bolsonarist reported, with reservation, that, on Friday (7), Derrite was advised to seek experts close to the group to technically validate the text. One of the names mentioned was that of São Paulo prosecutor Lincoln Gakiya, recognized for his confrontation with the PCC (First Command of the Capital), which ended up criticizing the proposal.
The secretary, however, dismissed the suggestion and highlighted his experience in combating organized crime — he was a Military Police officer for more than 20 years.
Derrite spoke in the Chamber plenary this Wednesday (12) and defended the project. “Now, do you know why the federal government and some politicians are saying this [criticando a proposta]? Because they can’t debate the text with me”, he stated. He ended crying when addressing family members of police officers killed in the Rio operation, who were honored at the session.
Among Bolsonaro supporters, there is also criticism of the governor (Republicans), given the perception that the governor did not articulate with parliamentarians nor express public support for the assistant after the criticism began.
Palácio dos Bandeirantes disagrees with this assessment. To interlocutors, this Wednesday (12), Tarcísio said that the approval of the PL is ready, that there are a lot of people helping and that the idea is to have a text that meets the national interest — above electoral issues.
At the beginning of the year, the center-right’s plans were to elect Derrite and Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) to the Senate in 2026, within the strategy of expanding the Bolsonaro presence in the House, responsible for analyzing impeachment requests from STF (Supreme Federal Court) ministers.
As part of the plan, Derrite left the PL, the party for which he was elected in 2022, and migrated to the PP, so that each party would have a candidate.
Eduardo, however, went to the United States in March, amid attacks on minister Alexandre de Moraes (STF). Both his return to Brazil and his candidacy are currently considered unlikely by the group’s party leaders.
According to Sheet showed in June, with Eduardo’s removal, the name of Mayor Ricardo Nunes’s (MDB) deputy started to circulate. Now, it is gaining strength, according to Bolsonaro’s allies interviewed by the report.
When the issue was reported, Mello Araújo denied participating in discussions, but admitted that he could run if Bolsonaro decided so.
This Wednesday, he once again defended the former president’s son: “I hope Brazil gets back on track. A democratic country must have President Bolsonaro in the elections and Eduardo Bolsonaro for the Senate. That is democracy. What they are doing to them today they will do to others tomorrow”, he said, without further details.
Derrite was contacted, but preferred not to comment, according to his office.
