The , party of , made official this Monday (30) the pre-candidacy of the governor of Goiás, , for the Presidency of the Republic.
Caiado, 76, was competing for the acronym’s seal with the governor of Paraná, who gave up running for the position, and, ahead of the Executive of Rio Grande do Sul.
The press release took place at the acronym’s headquarters, in the central region of São Paulo.
In a speech, he said this Monday that his first act, if elected, would be to grant amnesty to former president Jair Bolsonaro (), who was convicted of an attempted coup d’état.
“My first act will be exactly broad, general and unrestricted amnesty, replicating what Juscelino Kubitschek knew how to do with great mastery for all those who really rebelled in a real coup attempt by the Air Force,” he said.
Despite talking about amnesty, Caiado said he wants to break the polarization, stating that it is an instrument of some, but not his, trying to distance himself from the idea that he would not escape the Bolsonaro clan’s proposal.
He cited his own trajectory to say that he is prepared for the position and said that his father was right when talking about the need to prepare before becoming President. When speaking of his opponent (PL), who has never held a position in the Executive, he said: “You can’t learn in a chair.”
Still talking about Bolsonaro’s eldest son, he stated that the “impetus of young people is not enough” and that “you cannot govern by arm wrestling” or by decree. “What you need is experience, there’s no room for improvisation.”
When members of the Planato began to promise a pardon for Bolsonaro if they were elected, ministers of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) reinforced since 2025 that this would be possible.
The position has as a precedent the judgment of grace signed by Bolsonaro to benefit former deputy Daniel Silveira (PTB-RJ), sentenced to more than eight years in prison for the crimes of threatening the democratic rule of law by promoting attacks on STF ministers and encouraging anti-democratic acts.
The former president signed a decree pardoning his political ally’s sentence the day after his conviction. The Supreme Court overturned the pardon in May 2023, by 9 votes to 2, on the grounds that there was a misuse of purpose.
A wing of the Supreme Court understands that crimes against the democratic rule of law are not subject to political pardon.
Crime
which he had already done in 1989. He vocalizes the interests of the agrarian right and seeks to join the discourse against violence and corruption.
Doctor and surgeon, during the, but he got closer hoping to receive the support of the former president, who is currently serving a sentence for an attempted coup d’état.
This Monday, Caiado spoke about his training as a doctor to indicate that he is the most prepared for the position. He compared the evolution in medicine with the necessary evolution in politics before running for office.
The politician also supported a recurring speech on the right, about crime, and said that Goiás is one of the safest states in Brazil. He criticized the party harshly and said that the objective is for the party to no longer be an option in the country.
The PSD’s choice between Eduardo Leite and Ratinho Junior. While the latter praised the decision, Leite argued that it “tends to maintain this environment of radicalized polarization that limits our country so much.”
Regarding Leite’s criticism, the presidential candidate disagreed. He said that the amnesty will help break polarization and spoke of the competence of the governor of Rio Grande do Sul. “You only feed a political project of polarization when you benefit from it.”
According to the calendar published by the (Superior Electoral Court), the deliberation to choose the official candidates for the Presidency takes place from July 20th to August 5th, the period of party conventions. Candidacy registration requests must be submitted by August 15th.
Coming from an influential family with a tradition in politics, Caiado was a federal deputy for five terms, the first starting in 1991. In 2014, he was elected senator for Goiás. He arrived at the state Executive in 2018 and .
In Congress, he spent most of his time in the former PFL (which became DEM in 2007 and then became ). , due to lack of support for the presidential candidacy.
Asked if he is on the right or if he is compatible with Kassab’s proposal for a center path, he said he does not deny its origins, related to the defense of the right and agribusiness.
At the same time, he claims that he is not radical. “Nobody reaches 88% [de aprovação no governo estadual] being radical.”
