The president (PT) called on his allies to hurry in structuring the presidential pre-campaign during a meeting at Palácio da Alvorada, on Monday (23). The PT member’s instruction comes at a time when his main opponent, the senator (PL-RJ), .
According to reports, the president showed signs of frustration with the results of the electoral surveys and the difficulty in converting government actions into votes. He complains about the lack of energy to react to the Bolsonarist offensive.
In the days following the meeting, the PT leadership instructed party deputies to intensify the political clash with the opposition, focusing especially on the case. The orientation is to increase the repercussion of Lula’s statements on the subject and glue the financial fraud scandal to Bolsonarism.
Lula has regularly received the nucleus of his pre-campaign to debate the situation and define political-electoral strategy.
On Monday, when the PT member called out his allies in a tone of concern, some of the main names in coordination were present, such as the president of the PT, Edinho Silva, who will be the general coordinator, the former president of Petrobras Sérgio Gabrielli, who will coordinate the preparation of the government program, and the former mayor of Diadema (SP) José de Filippi Jr., who will be the treasurer.
Among the president’s assistants, the assessment is that the opposing camp has made progress in assembling this pre-campaign structure. The day after the meeting in Alvorada, Edinho Silva transmitted the president’s recommendation to PT deputies.
During lunch with the PT executive bench in the Chamber, the president of the PT informed that the PL had already established a robust legal body and a communications consultancy. Emphasizing the importance of the next election, he also defended the need to join fundraising dinners, such as one scheduled for April.
He also recalled that, unlike the PT, the PL does not transfer resources from the party fund to its directorates, which allows for a greater reserve of resources for the campaign.
At the meeting, he instructed deputies to reproduce Lula’s speech more and seek greater alignment with the government’s communication. As an example, the association of the Master case with the management of , still under the government of (PL), was mentioned.
In a speech last week, the President of the Republic referred to the Master case as a “snake’s egg” left by the Bolsonaro administration. The government leadership believes it has nothing to do with the scandal, but believes that the fraud has damaged the image of the current administration.
Another recommendation is to link the increase in fuel prices to the war started by the USA. The strategy is to remember that American President Donald Trump is supported by the Bolsonarists, while Lula preaches peace.
Furthermore, the idea is to question why governors supported by Bolsonaro did not adhere to the federal government’s proposal to give up ICMS revenue on fuels, allowing a reduction in consumer prices.
According to reports from the participants, the deputies suggested that the government also do its part, adopting measures to stimulate the popular economy and release resources for programs of social interest.
When commenting on the lack of structure in the PT pre-campaign described by Edinho, deputies even recalled that today they own the government machine and it would be alarming to assume that the opponent would be better organized.
Flávio Bolsonaro was chosen by his father, arrested for an attempted coup, to represent the Bolsonaro camp in the presidential election. Since , at the end of last year, Flávio has gained ground and now appears tied with Lula in voting intention polls.
An acceleration of the pre-campaign, by Lula, is a limited movement at the moment. The official campaign only officially starts in August. Until then, candidates are prohibited, for example, from asking for a vote.
