Commentator José Eduardo Cardozo and journalist and former senator Ana Amélia Lemos discussed, this Friday (30), in The Great Debate (Monday to Friday, at 11pm), whether there is room for a third way in the 2026 elections.
The president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) appears in a technical tie with the senator Flavio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) and with the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), in possible second-round disputes in the 2026 election, .
In Cardozo’s opinion, political polarization should remain at a similar level to that of the previous election.
“There are a series of causes that explain this. The truth is that there was no political credentials that would lead to overcoming this scenario”, he said.
“I don’t think there is enough political time left for the emergence of someone, a leader, a party, or a perspective that could occupy the space and open a breach between these two poles,” he continued.
“Sectors on the right, even with a certain democratic dimension out of pragmatism, ally themselves with Flávio Bolsonaro. Sectors on the left that disagree with the PT also do not want to have their name associated with those who attempted a coup d’état in Brazil, so they join Lula. Therefore, I don’t think there is any more space, in these elections, for a third way”, concluded Cardozo.
Ana Amélia assesses that research has shown the maintenance of polarization, even with the PSD’s attempts to create a third way.
“The fact is that polls have shown this tendency to maintain polarization, perhaps for this reason, President Lula himself wants to have Flávio Bolsonaro as his opponent, as he embodies antagonism towards his government,” he said.
“Gilberto Kassab took the initiative to try to break this bubble and brought three names, with the affiliation of Ronaldo Caiado for a dispute for the presidential succession, but Caiado is identified with Bolsonarism. Ratinho Junior, is also a voter of Bolsonaro and Eduardo Leite, who is more to the center than Bolsonarism”, he mentions.
“Even with this attempt at a third way, some events, some facts will rarely have the capacity to change this scenario, which everything indicates will continue to be polarized between left and right” he concluded.
