Federal deputy and former Minister of the Environment Marina Silva chose to remain in the Sustainability Network to “continue working to restore the principles and values” of the party. The announcement of the environmentalist’s decision comes after the refusal of invitations from the PT and PSB in the face of friction in the party she helped found, causing allies to flee.
“Remaining in the Network is a political decision that reaffirms the commitment to the re-election of resident Lula and the important victory for São Paulo of Fernando Haddad, and projects an increasingly active role in strengthening the essential Brazilian democratic biome”, says Marina in a note.
According to the former minister, the choice is consistent with the vision she has been publicly defending: that in the “biome of Brazilian democracy, to increase its capacity to protect itself from constant authoritarian attacks, it needs to be composed of plural and strengthened party ecosystems”.
“The Network was created based on democratic principles and values, with the purpose of being a space of plurality, diversity, citizen participation, political innovation and internal democracy. It is with this spirit that I will continue to act, working to rescue these principles and values that support its foundation, but which have been, in an undemocratic way, being illegitimately taken away”, says Marina.
Over the last few months, Marina stated behind the scenes that she would fight to remain at the Network “until the end”, but the electoral calendar could be an obstacle. The minister wants to be a candidate for the Senate in São Paulo, and leaders of the PSOL federation with Rede are working to make her the second name on Fernando Haddad’s (PT) ticket for the House in the state.
“We will continue to fight the good fight for democracy and maintain the hope that the Network will return to its plural and democratic condition, as a space for legitimate coexistence between different schools of thought, which was the basis of our relations in the first years of party operation”, he says.
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The environmentalist understands that a possible candidacy this year would only exist if it met three requirements: 1) support for the re-election of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; 2) collective construction and strengthening of a broad front, especially in São Paulo; and 3) promoting the green agenda. So far, the PT ticket in the state already has Haddad as a candidate for the government, and Simone Tebet (PSB) for the Senate.
“In the political-electoral scenario of São Paulo, I also intend to further intensify my role in the public debate, contributing to the construction of alternatives that ensure the country’s civilizational coefficient – a challenge in which the state of São Paulo has a decisive role. I therefore make my name available to the debate within our political field to represent the Federation led by PSOL, in the second vacancy for the Senate, alongside Simone Tebet, from PSB”, he states.
Network Conflicts
The tension in Marina’s relationship with the party deepened in April last year after the election for the presidency of the party’s national directory. The candidate supported by the environmentalist was defeated by Paulo Lamac, a name endorsed by Heloísa Helena — who has broken with the minister since 2022.
Marina’s allies published, in December, a manifesto against the party’s national leadership. They criticize changes in party statutes and claim that there is internal persecution against the minister.
While Marina defines herself as a “sustainabilityist” and chose to join the Lula administration as Minister of the Environment, Heloísa positions herself as opposition to the Planalto and defends “ecosocialism”, a current that associates environmental preservation with change in the economic system.
In January, the Rio de Janeiro Court annulled the national congress of the Sustainability Network that culminated in the victory of Heloísa Helena’s ally. At the time, the wing close to the minister understood that the current situation in the acronym created political and legal uncertainty in future decisions by the Network’s current leadership.
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The party said, in turn, that it received the decision “with surprise” and reaffirmed “its commitment to fairness, transparency and democracy — principles that have always guided its party activities”.
Last week, Marina’s group had a new legal victory: the Federal District Court granted an injunction to leaders close to the minister in which it suspended the effects of the party resolution that refers all requests for disaffiliation for just cause to the approval of the party’s national directory.
The action states that the resolution is an “instrument of political coercion published on the eve of the party window, which has direct and immediate repercussions on the electoral process, as the resolution intends, in practice, to force current representatives to remain in the group against their will, blocking any political negotiations that imply possible disaffiliation”.
