Also looking for strong platforms for the re-election of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), Planalto insists on the candidacy of Senator Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD) for the command of Minas Gerais. Leaving the PSD, the parliamentarian is expected to join União Brasil over the next few weeks and plans to remain within the president’s political group, despite not yet having decided whether he will run for the Executive. Amid the uncertain scenario, PT members have also considered other nominations for the vacancy, ranging from well-evaluated party cadres to outsiders in the state’s political environment.
Even in the face of uncertainty about the final composition, the president once again expressed interest in Pacheco on Thursday, in an interview with UOL. Asked about the definition of the ticket, Lula sent a message to the senator.
— If I know the soul of Minas Gerais, we will win the elections again. And I want to say here loud and clear, I haven’t given up on you yet, Pacheco. You know we’re going to have a conversation and I think you could be the future governor of Minas — said Lula.
Opportunity with security!
The senator, in turn, plans to leave the PSD and join União Brasil after Carnival, following an agreement made by the president of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União). The intention is for Pacheco to strengthen the party’s bench in Congress or run for government. Furthermore, in the coming weeks, command of the directory in Minas should also be transferred to deputy Rodrigo de Castro (União), an ally of Pacheco.
The sewing also takes place after the realization that the senator’s permanence in the party has become “unsustainable” since the affiliation of vice-governor Mateus Simões (PSD). He was chosen as the successor to Governor Romeu Zema (Novo), who stands as a pre-candidate for the Presidency and an opponent of Lula. Within the Union, interlocutors claim that Pacheco will be able to remain aligned with the PT member’s political project and will have time to think about the path he will take in this year’s election.
With the senator’s position still undefined, wings within the PT have defended a plan B, which involves supporting the candidacy of former mayor of Belo Horizonte Alexandre Kalil (PDT). The construction of the alliance was confirmed by the president of the PDT, Carlos Lupi, in a post on social media regarding a meeting between him and Edinho Silva, who heads the PT’s national directory.
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In the caption of the post, in addition to saying that he had “reaffirmed the PDT alliance to re-elect President Lula”, Lupi wrote that he received “confirmation of the PT commitment to support the candidacies for the government of Juliana Brizola in RS; Alexandre Kalil in MG, and Requião Filho in PR”. “With the internal formalization of the PT, in the coming days, we will move forward to win in these strategic states,” he added.
Subsequently, however, the PT directory released a note saying that the meeting took place between party leaders for “a high-level dialogue on the re-election of President Lula”, but “it did not aim to define the electoral platforms in the states”.
“The definitions regarding the candidacies remain under debate and will be constructed in agreement with the state directories”, concluded the statement. The friction provoked a reaction from Kalil, who made a post on his X profile in which he wrote that “elections suck.” “Only whoever I want can get on my platform,” he added.
Alternatives on the table
In addition to Kalil, the names of the mayors of Contagem, Marília Campos (PT), and Juiz de Fora, Margarida Salomão (PT), have also been considered. The first has expressed her intention to run for the Senate, as long as she is Lula’s only candidate to run for the seat. Margarida has reiterated her intention to end her term in charge of the municipality.
In parallel, the nominations of Josué Gomes da Silva, former president of the Federation of Industry of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp) and son of former vice-president José Alencar, and the dean of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Sandra Goulart, began to be discussed. Part of a federation alongside the PT, the PV also evaluates the name of the former mayor of Belo Horizonte Márcio Lacerda.
— I believe we have gone from a situation of not having many options to a situation where good options are now beginning to emerge. Whatever the choice, I think we will be well represented — says state deputy and former president of the PT directory in Minas Gerais, Cristiano Silveira.
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