While the support of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) is disputed by the two best placed candidates in the polls that measure the dispute for the government of Pernambuco, the senator and pre-candidate for the Presidency for the PL Flávio Bolsonaro finds obstacles in consolidating a ticket in the state. The difficulty in formulating an alliance around the Bolsonarist occurs after a split in the party’s state directory culminated in the disaffiliation of former Tourism Minister Gilson Machado in January this year.
The Pernambuco PL is currently led by the former mayor of Jaboatão dos Guararapes Anderson Ferreira, who has the support of his brother and federal deputy André Ferreira and the endorsement of the party’s national president, Valdemar Costa Neto. Anderson took up the post after Machado was arrested in July last year, accused of having tried to issue a Portuguese passport to lieutenant colonel Mauro Cid — convicted of the coup plot — and aiding an escape plan for former president Jair Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp.
The ex-minister’s departure from the PL occurred after he did not find space within the party to run for the Senate — a space that could go to Anderson Ferreira, currently without a position in Brasília, in the party’s bid to attract the conservative vote in the state. Machado joined Podemos the following month and announced his candidacy for the Chamber, in addition to raising his tone against the old party.
Notes made by Flávio during meetings at the PL headquarters, which were made public last week, indicate the party’s desire to form a ticket with Raquel Lyra (PSD). The governor’s surroundings, however, reject the possibility.
The PL was part of the Lyra administration, but the alliance was dissolved. There is an understanding in the government that Bolsonaro’s party is split in the state and has little political reach, which is why support would not bring benefits to her campaign for re-election. Lyra must face the mayor of Recife, João Campos (PSB), who is leading the polls.
Flávio’s records also indicate his interest in supporting the former mayor of Petrolina and current state president of União Brasil, Miguel Coelho, and federal deputy Mendonça Filho (União) for the Senate. The path, however, has not yet been sealed. While the parliamentarian presents himself as a pre-candidate for re-election in the Chamber, Coelho has expressed behind the scenes that he will bet on neutrality, without supporting any of the Planalto candidates, at least in the first round.
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Anderson Ferreira argues that the notes “demonstrate the party’s concern with finding the best path in Pernambuco”, especially in the “atypical” scenario in which the two main government candidates compete for Lula’s support.
— I have no doubt that we will have a political structure capable of working on Flávio’s candidacy. He will certainly get a positive response from the Pernambuco electorate, just as happened with his father — says the leader, who defends that the debate in the party during the formulation of the ticket is “natural”.
Ferreira points out that the PL has been holding a debate on the October elections since last year and the construction of alliances “must be done from a national perspective”.
