Members of the former president’s party (PL), are betting on the president of the Republic to boost the election of federal deputies and senators next year.
The reading was shared by the president of the PL, with presidents of the party’s state directories.
According to the report of two people who attended the meeting promoted by Flávio last week, Valdemar stated that the PL bench in Congress tends to grow with its own candidate for President and that this would be scaring the other right-wing parties — such as the PP, led by senator Ciro Nogueira (PI), and the Republicans, led by the governor of , .
Tarcísio is the favorite in the center and in the financial market to compete against Lula. This Tuesday (16), amid the circulation of Genial/Quaest survey data that showed Lula in the lead and in a scenario in which both would compete — the senator received 23% of voting intentions, and Tarcísio, with 10%.
The PL currently has the largest bench in the Chamber and , with 87 federal deputies and 15 senators. In the account of members of the acronym, the number could reach 125 and 25, respectively, from 2026 onwards.
The assessment in the PL is that Flávio’s name on the ballot can not only serve as a lure for competitive candidates, but also reduce confusion among voters at the time of voting.
Parliamentarians remember, for example, in 2022, when around 1 in every 10 votes in the first round for the São Paulo government were lost because voters entered the PL number instead of the Republicans number, resulting in null votes.
In a conversation with journalists this Monday (15), the leader of the PL in the Chamber, Sóstenes Cavalcante (RJ), said that, in fact, a presidential candidacy by Tarcísio for the Republicans would disrupt the PL ticket in the states.
“He being candidate in the 10th [número do Republicanos]decreases party vote for federal deputy. This gets in the way. We can’t give up 22 [número do PL]”, stated the federal deputy.
“What was the gesture of approaching the PL that Tarcísio has made to date? It is public that, in several conversations, the [ex-]President Bolsonaro has already asked Tarcísio to come to the PL, he never comes. THE [ex-]The president has already said that, if he is not in the PL, he will not support it”, he added, adding that it is “unlikely” that Bolsonaro will give up on launching his eldest son in favor of Tarcísio.
Despite Flávio’s pre-candidacy, the election of senators and federal deputies remains a priority for the PL.
In several public statements, former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) defended a focus on electing to reverse the current game of forces and manage to approve the impeachment of ministers of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) — the exclusive prerogative of the Senate.
The record number of federal deputies is of interest to the party because, the greater the number of people elected in the Chamber, the greater the party fund.
In light of Flávio’s pre-candidacy, Valdemar opened the meeting with PL leaders in the states, last Tuesday (9), stating that the party will have its own candidate against Lula (PT) next year.
In a show of unity, former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro (PL) wished her stepson luck and said a prayer that he would not be hit by the “reputation-destroying machine”, according to participants at the meeting. Michelle added that, “God willing”, Flávio will be the next president of the Republic.
The former first lady also apologized to federal deputy André Fernandes (PL-CE) for having criticized him for negotiating the party’s support for the possible candidacy of Ciro Gomes (PSDB) for the government of Ceará — an episode between Michelle and Bolsonaro’s children. Michelle also said that she and Flávio had a disagreement and made up, which is common in every family.
The senator, according to reports, said that his stepmother will be very important for his candidacy among female voters.
Flávio also jokingly stated that the senator and general secretary of the PL, Rogério Marinho (RN), would help the elderly — in reference to the Social Security reform, articulated by Marinho in 2019, when he was Bolsonaro’s special secretary of Social Security.
