The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite (PSD), assessed this Friday, 28th, during a lunch with businesspeople at the Commercial Association of Rio de Janeiro (ACRJ), that the beginning of the sentence of former president Jair Bolsonaro, convicted of an attempted coup d’état, could open space for the Bolsonarist right to seek dialogue with the center to build an electoral project for 2026.
According to Leite, for this rapprochement to exist, the Bolsonarist camp would need to abandon extremism. At the event, he was asked about the possibility of a future alliance with the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans).
“Governor Tarcísio has management skills, technical knowledge and political capacity, but in order for a coalition to be built around him, he is the one who must leave Bolsonarism and come more to the center. And not the other way around; it is not the center that will become Bolsonarized”, stated the gaucho.
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Leite added that Bolsonaro’s arrest could change the political scenario and “inevitably bring a possibility of dialogue between the center-right camp and a right that eventually joined forces with Bolsonaro”. According to the governor, this should only happen if this group is willing to abandon extreme positions and “come to the center”.
“If those who supported Bolsonaro are willing to come to the center, this dialogue can happen,” he stated.
The governor of Rio Grande do Sul also reiterated that he is available to run for President, but acknowledged that he could support another name. “My will as a Brazilian is greater than my will as a politician. I want Brazil to move forward. If I have to lead this process, I am available. If there is another leader with the correct agenda and minimum convergence, we will work to help Brazil”, said Eduardo Leite.
Despite Leite’s interest, the president of the PSD, Gilberto Kassab, has signaled a preference for the governor of Paraná, Ratinho Junior (PSD). Another possibility would be for the party to support a possible candidacy by Tarcísio de Freitas.
Eduardo Leite also commented on his former party, the PSDB, which returned this week to be chaired by federal deputy Aécio Neves (MG). “I have great respect for the former governor and deputy Aécio. I always had a good relationship with him and I wish him luck in leading the PSDB.”
Aécio and Leite were once allies and opponents within the PSDB, when the gaucho left the party, both were competing for internal control of the party.
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