The pre-candidates for the Presidency (Novo) and () criticized the STF (Supreme Federal Court) and the PT this Monday (25), during their participation in a business event in São Paulo. Regarding the senator (PL), however, they had different positions. Zema attacked the senator, while Caiado avoided direct criticism.
Without mentioning Flávio directly, Zema stated that getting close to a “criminal banker is a bad sign”. “Opossum smells like opossum,” summarized the former governor of Minas Gerais.
“Someone who has such a close relationship with a crook banker, which is what I consider, sir [Daniel] Vorcaro [,dono do Banco Master]the biggest criminal in the financial system in the history of Brazil and probably one of the biggest in the world, is very worrying”, said Zema.
He also said he was afraid that the right would “once again hand over” the election to the left. He mentioned to journalists, which shows Flávio’s decline in relation to Lula, after the publication, by Intercept Brasil, of the messages between the senator and Vorcaro.
“These latest polls have shown that whoever is voting for Flávio will most likely be handing the election to Lula, who maintained his position while he fell. That is, if nothing else emerges from now on. And if in 2022 it was already difficult for the right, with this scandal [de Vorcaro] now, it’s even more so. Because in 2022 we didn’t have anything that resembled this”, he stated.
Caiado said that it is up to voters to evaluate Flávio Bolsonaro’s relationship with Vorcaro. The PL pre-candidate stated, in a speech, that it is necessary to have “moral authority” to govern the country. Asked by journalists whether Flávio meets the prerequisite, after the revelation of his relationship with the then banker, the former governor of Goiás avoided answering.
“This decision will come from the voter. This decision, it is not a personal election, it is a selection of 120 million Brazilians who will vote. They are the ones who will decide what they want at the ballot box”, he declared.
Caiado also avoided answering whether Flávio should be replaced by another candidate in the dispute.
“This is a party order decision. It is the PL’s prerogative, I am from another party”, said the pre-candidate. The change of senator began to be discussed among members of the PL after the publication of reports on the life of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
He also defended support for anyone who reaches a possible second round in the dispute against President Lula (PT). Voting intention polls have shown Flávio as the pre-candidate most likely to face the PT member in the next stage of the presidential race — the senator appears in isolated second place in the first round simulations.
Despite the criticism, Zema did not rule out supporting Flávio in the second round. “Here in Brazil I will be in the second round working against the PT. I will be. As a candidate who went to the second round or together with another candidate.”
Zema also criticized Flávio for saying that his brother Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL) would be a minister in his eventual government. “I like people who have a career, who have competence. If a relative solved this problem, a lot of things in this world would already be solved,” he said. Zema also blamed the actions of the former federal deputy in the United States for American President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Brazil.
The statements repeat the pre-candidates’ stance on Flávio. Since the beginning of the crisis in the senator’s pre-campaign through audios with Vorcaro, Caiado has opted for a polite tone in his criticisms, seeking to distance himself from Flávio to inherit part of the electorate that may give up voting for him because of the allegations. “I think he was wrong to anticipate and pre-condemn me,” Flávio said recently when talking about Zema’s stance.
Criticisms of the STF and the PT
Zema and Caiado, on the other hand, joined in the attacks on the STF and the PT. The former governor of Goiás defended the temporary removal of Court ministers mentioned in complaints, while the former governor of Minas said he would propose reforms in the Supreme Court if elected, such as a minimum age of 60 to join the court.
Zema also stated that his “mission on earth is to end the PT”.
“My mission here on earth is to put an end to the PT. Not using machine guns, nothing like that, no. It’s to put an end to them by showing that there is much better competition than them. And back in Minas, we’ve already proven it. The comparison was so stark, so blatant, that they don’t risk launching candidates. Back in Minas, the PT was almost wiped off the map,” said Zema.
Caiado argued that the priority in the elections should be to defeat the party and criticized the STF’s stance.
“What was expected at this moment was that the Supreme Court would actually have a decision internal body and set a good example. People who are affected by complaints about their life path should be removed so that they can respond outside the Federal Supreme Court. Then yes, the Supreme Court would maintain its condition of impartiality in judging relevant issues as required. This is how an institution operates,” he said.
