The president () accelerated negotiations to form his platform in Maranhão and is looking for a consensus name to keep his base united in the dispute for the state government.
The base faces a dispute in an atmosphere of open war between governor Carlos Brandão (no party) and the group of former allies of , former governor and now minister of the (Supreme Federal Court).
The governor launched his nephew Orleans Brandão () to run for government, messing up the Lulista camp and angering PT supporters, who expected to see vice-governor Felipe Camarão (PT) as a candidate for government.
Members of the PT, Palácio do Planalto and even Brandão’s government claim that there was an agreement for the governor to leave office in April to run for the Senate. Thus, the vice-president would take over and compete for the government in office.
The governor, however, announced that he will fulfill his mandate until the end and denies breaking an agreement. “There was never this agreement to support Felipe Camarão,” he told Sheet.
Brandão was Dino’s deputy, took office in April 2022 and was re-elected in October of that year. Throughout the term, however, Brandão and Dino grew apart.
Upon being appointed minister of the STF, the former PSB governor had to move away from party politics, but his allies remained a relatively cohesive group. Some of them started to oppose and compete for space with Brandão’s group.
The climate of belligerence has intensified in the last year. Brandão announced that he would remain in the position, preventing Felipe Camarão’s accession to the government, and nominated his nephew for the succession.
The assessment, around the president, is that the only way to keep the left-wing forces and the governor’s political group together would be to find a third consensus name for the candidacy.
Lula appointed the president of the PT, Edinho Silva, to discuss the matter with the governor. Edinho should have a conversation with Brandão and suggest that he choose a third name. One of the arguments would be that appointing a nephew as successor could be interpreted as a way of creating an oligarchy.
One of the names presented was that of the Minister of Sports, (), which was submitted to the governor’s allies, but had no support. Another alternative considered is state deputy Iracema Valle (MDB), president of the Legislative Assembly.
Brandão, however, says that Orleans’ candidacy is irreversible and that there is no possibility of a third way. “He is in first place in the polls. He has the support of 12 parties,” said Brandão.
Vice-governor Felipe Camarão, in turn, says that the party’s priority is the re-election of President Lula and states that there is room for a composition with Carlos Brandão.
“We never closed the doors to the governor. All he has to do is fulfill the original agreement in which he resigns to run for the Senate, I take over the government and run for re-election, he nominates his vice-president and we win the election together”, he states.
While the coordination continues, Camarão began his pre-campaign for the government and has been visiting municipalities in the interior. He is still little known to the electorate and is betting on the support of Lula, who received 71% of the votes in the state in the second round in 2022.
Camarão says he has the support of at least 117 of the party’s 192 directorates for his own candidacy and is articulating a ticket with the support of PC do B, , , Rede e: “My candidacy will be maintained, unless President Lula decides otherwise”, he stated.
Last October, the governor was with Lula and, according to people interviewed by the report, asked the president to reconsider his support for Camarão. The argument is that Orleans’ candidacy would already be viable and would have garnered political support to the point that it would no longer be possible to go back.
Lula did not respond. The president’s allies report that he was uncomfortable with the governor’s move. The PT member, however, cannot do without a local alliance with Brandão. Maranhão is strategic for the president.
Brandão denies having had a conversation of this nature with the President of the Republic. He says that, when he met Lula in October, he discussed candidacy for the Senate – and that there has not yet been a definition.
At the same time, Flávio Dino’s remaining group has been building bridges with the mayor of São Luis, Eduardo Braide (PSD).
With a centrist profile, he has both Lulista and Bolsonarian voters. If he resigns from the mayor’s office to run for government, he should not seek support from the president, to avoid friction with right-wing voters.
Brandão has sought support from municipalities to strengthen Orleans’ candidacy. Opponents point to the donation of vehicles to Municipal Councils as a movement in this direction.
Orleans Brandão is 31 years old and is currently the extraordinary secretary of Municipal Affairs for the state government. He assumed the presidency of the Maranhão MDB directory, succeeding his father, Marcus Brandão, who has a strong influence in the government.
