For him, the ‘Bolsonaro factor is disturbing’ and ‘Bolsonaroism gets in the way a little’ in his attempt to defeat Lula next year
The national president of the PSD, stated that the governor of, (Republicans), “cannot present himself as a Bolsonarista” if he decides to run for Presidency of the Republic in 2026. The statement was made during the Arko Conference 2025, an event held in partnership with Galapagos Capital, which brought together authorities, jurists and representatives of the financial market.
Regarding the criticism, Kassab reinforced that Tarcísio is today the “number one name” on the list of possible PSD support for the presidential succession. If the governor of São Paulo does not enter the dispute, the party must support Ratinho Junior, governor of Paraná and affiliated with the PSD: “If he [Tarcísio] If you are a candidate, we will support you. Tarcísio is wrong: he cannot present himself as a Bolsonarist. He needs to position himself as a center-right candidate,” said Kassab.
Center right to face Lula
Kassab assessed the electoral scenario and said he believed that only a center-right candidate would be able to defeat the president (PT) in the next election: “The Bolsonaro factor is disturbing, but he has votes. We are only going to defeat Lula with a center-right name. A candidate only from the right won’t win; only from the center, he can lose. Bolsonaroism gets in the way a little.”
Criticism of Congress and defense of district voting
Currently Secretary of Government and Institutional Relations of São Paulo, Kassab also criticized the National Congress, stating that the Legislature has distanced itself from the country’s development agenda. For him, the solution would be to adopt district voting: “Congress needs to be strong, but today it has focused on issues that do not help development. The only way out is district voting, so that people know exactly who they are voting for. We need radical changes.”
Government assessments and economic criticism
In an assessment of different presidential administrations, Kassab called him a “weak president”, praised the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso and stated that there are “three Lulas”: the first two, which he considers positive, and the current one, according to him, marked by management difficulties: “Today Lula no longer has good staff. In Lula 1 there were excellent ministers; now the ministry is weaker. Lula has difficulty governing without resources and signals an increase in the tax burden, which generates an explosion in public accounts”.
Kassab also criticized welfare programs, comparing the current government’s approach to liberal policies: “The liberal reaches the community saying: save, buy land, finance. The left says: ‘don’t worry, the money will come.”
Criticisms of the STF
The president of the PSD also disagreed with the role of minister Alexandre de Moraes in the investigation that resulted in the conviction of the former president (PL). According to Kassab, it is not appropriate for Moraes to be “victim and judge” in the same process.
