The governor of Goiás, , informed his allies this Tuesday (27) that he will leave to run for the Presidency of the Republic, after resistance from , with whom his current party is federated, to his pre-candidacy.
Caiado is holding advanced talks about possible affiliation with deputy Paulinho da Força, a party that this year officially formed a federation with the PRD.
“I spoke to him today, he left for the interior. He said he is going to leave the Union and asked for a conversation with me next week. I made the acronym available, we are interested in a national candidacy”, said the party leader to Sheet.
In an interview with Novabrasil radio, Caiado also said that he had informed the president of , Antônio Rueda, and the general secretary, ACM Neto, about his disaffiliation plan and stated that it was something “to be resolved in the next few days”.
In addition to the Solidarity Renewal Federation, Caiado held a conversation with , chaired by deputy Renata Abreu. According to interlocutors, the dialogue with Solidariedade has become more mature. Both parties are centrist, with open paths to running for President.
Caiado has told allies that he will not give up his pre-candidacy. Supporters say he is going for “all or nothing” in the race for Planalto, aiming to end his political career in a national dispute.
The governor of Goiás comes from the former DEM, a party that merged with the PSL to form União Brasil in 2022. These wings constantly compete for power in the party, which added elements of division when announcing, led by Ciro Nogueira.
Amid the division of the center into several internal fiefdoms, Caiado’s candidacy found it difficult to consolidate. A PP leader stated that Caiado would never be a candidate because he understood that the only right-wing name outside the Bolsonaro family with electoral viability would be governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos-SP).
As shown by Sheeta wing of the Union leadership maintained the pre-candidacy, but less out of expectation of victory and more because this would free the party from supporting the candidacy of senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) against President Lula (PT).
Another wing of the party, however, argues that there is no need to invest time and money in a presidential candidacy. This group understands that the party could free members to support Lula or Bolsonaro, “making life easier” for those running for office in states that have a clear Lula or Bolsonaro tendency.
At the top of the Union, the maxim of “not choosing today what can be decided tomorrow” prevailed, which angered Caiado. Despite being divided, the party leadership understands that it is necessary to wait a little longer to establish a position on the national dispute.
This lack of positioning doesn’t just frustrate Caiado. Flávio Bolsonaro, who is close to Rueda and had Ciro Nogueira as minister of the Civil House in his father’s government, tries unsuccessfully to take the federation to his platform.
Caiado’s group wanted guarantees that their name would actually reach the ballot box and, therefore, began looking for alternatives in recent weeks. The preference, according to allies, was to remain in the Union, where it already had a rooted party structure.
Furthermore, the União Progressista Federation (Special Campaign Financing Fund), according to a study by the 1º de Maio Foundation, linked to Solidariedade. There will be R$953.6 million in the hands of this alliance in the center.
Solidarity and We Can
Solidariedade has a federation with the PRD already approved by the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) aiming to overcome the barrier clause. They have ten deputies and should command R$159 million in electoral funds in 2026. The party, however, has fewer chiefs who can rival Caiado.
Podemos already has a bench of 16 deputies and four senators. The party is expected to control R$236.5 million of the electoral fund. The acronym has a larger structure, but also more regional chiefs.
Collaborated with UOL
