Grupo Prerrogativas, close to President Lula, paid tribute to the trio: “It is a luxury for São Paulo to have three options”
A tribute from the Prerogativas group to Simone Tebet (MDB), Fernando Haddad (PT) and Geraldo Alckmin (PSB) once again flirted with the possibility of having the three ministers on a ticket in São Paulo as Lula’s platform in next year’s election.
In an event with an electoral campaign tone, the three were mentioned by the coordinator of Prerogativas, Marco Aurélio de Carvalho, as representatives of the broad front that gave Lula victory in 2022 and as assets for the 2026 election. Prerogativas is made up of pro-PT lawyers and jurists and expanded its influence in the government with the appointment of the Union’s attorney general, Jorge Messias, to the Federal Supreme Court (STF).
“We are going to win in São Paulo and in Brazil, in all states. This is the alliance for democracy that will win the elections in 2026”, said Carvalho. In an indirect reference to the recent crises involving Congress, he also stated that Lula is the only adult in the room and does not want to “capture” the competencies of the other Powers.
“It is a luxury for São Paulo to have three options. It is a ticket that represents the union of the civilized right, the center-right, center-left and left around institutions and the defense of democracy”, Carvalho told Estadão.
Asked if the Minister of Planning would be willing to change her electoral domicile to São Paulo, she replied: “I think she was waiting for the call. Today we made the call for her to introduce herself to the population of São Paulo. Prerogatives is good luck.” The group was part of the articulation that led Alckmin to become Lula’s vice-president in 2022.
Although Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) launched his pre-candidacy for the Presidency a few days ago, Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) continues to be a favorite of the PT and was mentioned at least twice in speeches on stage.
Haddad recalled Lula’s statement addressed to the governor earlier this Friday, that experts’ predictions for the economy did not come true. Marco Aurélio also criticized Tarcísio’s management in São Paulo.
“Today President Lula said something very important. He said looking at the governor of São Paulo: ‘Did you see Tarcísio that all the predictions made by economists didn’t work out?'”, said Haddad. “It’s not celebrating that the guys who bet against Brazil were wrong. It’s celebrating that we were successful”, he continued.
Haddad resists being a candidate again. This week, he said in an interview with the newspaper O Globo that he may leave the ministry to help with Lula’s campaign next year, but that he has already warned the president that he does not want to run in a new election.
The PT member is tipped to run for both the government of São Paulo and the Senate for the State. When questioned again by journalists on Friday night, Haddad said that he had already spoken about the topic in the interview.
Former PT president and minister of the Institutional Relations Secretariat, Gleisi Hoffmann told journalists at the event that there is still no definition.
“It’s obvious that any launch of a name, of composition, we have to talk about. It doesn’t happen overnight. But, certainly, there are 3 very powerful names, very important in national and local politics here in São Paulo”, he stated.
Although her party, the MDB, has not yet defined which path it will follow in 2026, Tebet was adamant and said she will be on Lula’s platform. The Minister of Planning received applause from the audience when she said that Lula is the greatest president Brazil has ever had. The MDB has already had José Sarney, Itamar Franco and Michel Temer as presidents.
To be on Lula’s platform in São Paulo, she would have to leave Mato Grosso do Sul and change parties, since the São Paulo MDB supports Tarcísio. Tebet is considered for a seat in the Senate, but at the end of her speech some people in the audience shouted “governor”.
“In this Brazilian policy, you need to have courage. And I don’t lack courage”, he declared.
In the case of Alckmin, the priority is to repeat the ticket with Lula for the Palácio do Planalto. He stated that the PT member saved democracy by defeating Bolsonaro in 2022 and was the most applauded speaker when he began his speech by greeting the audience with “comrades and companions”, the president’s trademark.
In addition to the three, the Minister of Entrepreneurship, Márcio França (PSB), has already expressed his desire to be a candidate for Palácio dos Bandeirantes. He did not attend the event.
*Estadão Content
