The choice of the Liberal Party (PL) for the pre-candidacy of the president of the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo, André do Prado, for the Senate continues to widen the split on the Bolsonarist right in São Paulo.
In recent days, the former Minister of the Environment in the Bolsonaro government and federal deputy Ricardo Salles (Novo) has been discussing on social media and through interviews with Eduardo Bolsonaro and his close allies, due to the criticisms he made of Prado’s nomination.
In the last few hours, state deputy Gil Diniz (PL-SP), federal deputy Mário Frias (PL-SP) and commentator Rodrigo Constantino entered the discussion, choosing opposite sides.
Continues after advertising
The exchange of barbs began when Prado was confirmed as a PL pre-candidate with the support of Eduardo, who defended a more ideological name for the position. Eduardo, however, changed his mind and started to defend Prado after a series of negotiations with the party president, Valdemar Costa Neto. Bolsonaro’s son says he will be a candidate to replace the president of Alesp.
Before the choice, Salles wrote on a social network that he did not believe that Eduardo “would subject himself to being a substitute for Valdemar’s pupil”, and that the former deputy “never got along with this corrupt group from the physiological and anti-ideological center, which is precisely the Valdemarist wing of the PL”. And he added: “He won’t let himself be used by them.”
Eduardo didn’t like the comment. In an interview with the YouTube channel Auriverde Brasil, the former deputy stated that he gave up his mandate in the Chamber and from running for the Senate, “unlike Ricardo Salles, who, facing a case in the STF, took the plunge and preferred to use moderation, not say anything about the Court and now paint himself as the guy who will save everyone, the big guy on the right”. He then stated that Salles “put his tail between his legs”.
The fight led to a series of provocations. While Gil Diniz and Mario Frias (PL-SP) defended Eduardo Bolsonaro’s position and harshly criticized Salles, commentator Rodrigo Constantino sided with the former Minister of the Environment.
Diniz called Salles “Geraldo Alckmin’s butler”, “Marina Silva of the right”, “a moneymaker” and a “coward”. Frias wrote a long text to defend Eduardo and accuse Salles of cowardice and betrayal.
Salles took a break from the discussion this Saturday (9), saying that he would not “waste his time responding to Eduardo’s bag-kissing troupe”.
Continues after advertising
“The issue is very simple: Stop disrespecting Jair Bolsonaro’s will and using his name for your negotiations. Take away Valdemar’s son and put Mello Araújo as the candidate. That’s right-wing and PAULISTA. If you do that, I’ll give up immediately. If you don’t, it’s because you really don’t want to return the money from that agreement with the center”, he wrote.
The heart of the fight is the race for right-wing votes in São Paulo. In addition to launching Prado, who was not identified with Bolsonarism, the PL will support the federal deputy and former public security secretary of São Paulo, Guilherme Derrite (PP).
Since Novo is expected to launch Salles, the lane to the right in the dispute for the two seats in the Senate is likely to become congested, which allies consider creates a risk of opening up space to give up one or both seats to the center and left.
Continues after advertising
Therefore, Salles has argued that, if Eduardo starts to defend the name that would be former president Jair Bolsonaro’s favorite for the post, the vice-mayor of São Paulo, Mello Araújo, he himself would withdraw his pre-candidacy.
