Governor of Minas Gerais states that the president ‘is pro-crime’, cites more than 40 thousand homicides per year in the country and reinforces that his pre-candidacy for the Presidency will continue ‘until the end’
The governor of , (Partido Novo), harshly criticized the president when commenting on the increase in crime in the country. According to him, the current government “endorses” the growth of violence and would have received “ninety percent or more of the prisoner votes”, in reference to the support of prisoners in the elections.
Zema mentioned homicide numbers to support his statements. He stated that Brazil records “more than 40 thousand murders per year”, remembering that the rate has already exceeded 60 thousand. The governor compared the scenario to “a big plane crashing every day”.
“Just watch it: 120 deaths per day, 130, 140. Brazilians seem to have gotten used to it. And we have a president who approves this. We need to stop this carnage”, he said.
Divided right? Zema says the reading is opposite
When dealing with the electoral panorama for 2026, Zema once again defended his pre-candidacy for the Planalto, announced on August 16th. He stated that he had communicated his decision to the former president before the public announcement and reported that Bolsonaro considered the existence of several names in the conservative camp to be positive.
“The more right-wing candidates there are, the better,” stated the governor, explaining that the plurality of names increases regional mobilization and strengthens the political bloc. Zema added that he will support any right-wing candidate who reaches the second round if he himself does not advance. “This shows that the right is strong, not divided,” he declared.
Criticisms of public security
Zema reinforced that, in his assessment, the federal government fails to combat organized crime. For him, “it is very clear that we cannot expect anything from Lula in relation to public security”.
The governor ended his statements by stating that he will continue to defend the security agenda as one of the central axes of his pre-campaign and that he intends to maintain the national debate on violence and public policies “without retreating an inch”.
