One day after the statement by federal deputy Erika Hilton (SP) about PSOL’s transfers to her electoral campaign, the party declared that it planned R$2.3 million from the electoral fund for the parliamentarian’s re-election. The total is higher than the R$ 2.2 million to be received by other party deputies seeking new mandates in the Chamber, and is 61.5% higher than the resource received by Erika in 2022. The parliamentarian accused, on Tuesday, the party’s national leadership of “tearing up” agreements signed internally and claimed that the scenario would be “making her candidacy unfeasible”. Her public demonstration takes place three weeks before the meeting of the PSOL National Executive which, on July 18, will hammer out the division of resources.
On Tuesday, Erika maintained that, to travel through the state of São Paulo as a party voter, logistics and a strong security scheme are needed. According to the deputy, she and her political group “run risks that the party bureaucracy cannot simply ignore”, at the risk, according to Erika, of making pre-candidacies unfeasible, lowering voting potential and threats to physical integrity.
In March, Erika’s group, Solidarity Revolution, decided to contest this year’s elections for PSOL, even after the national directory decided not to join the PT-PCdoB-PV federation. The union was defended by the deputy and the minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, Guilherme Boulos.
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Internally, the wing opposing Erika’s understands that the parliamentarian’s demonstration has three main objectives: bargaining for the growth of the value of the fund allocated to her campaign, working for the election of Natália Boulos to the Chamber and starting to build a narrative for the departure of the party in the near future.
Members of the national board argue that the higher allocation to Erika already represents “deference to her”. According to the acronym, in 2022, no candidate received more than the others, according to the bands. Even the vote puller that year, Guilherme Boulos, received less than candidates up for re-election, according to the acronym.
PSOL sources question the interpretation that Erika Hilton’s demonstration is a “rehearsal” to leave the party. They claim that the parliamentarian would not need an “excuse” like this, after the publication of a public letter from the Solidarity Revolution after the PSOL leadership, under the command of Paula Coradi, rejected by a majority the formation of a federation with the PT.
The group, of which Erika and Guilherme Boulos are part, said at the time that the PSOL opted for a “path of isolation” to the detriment of debating political solutions and left the political direction of its members open.
The wing that supports Erika Hilton maintains that the deputy’s appeal comes at a time of internal crisis in the party and tension over the possibility of a collective exit after the elections. This, according to the same sources, may be interfering in the financial discussion, with the idea of not investing in campaigns for figures who may leave PSOL.
They also argue that internal tension exposed privileges for cis, heterosexual and white pre-candidates. The scenario would have become even more worrying, according to them, after the STF validated by a majority the amendment that amnesty parties that violated minority electoral quotas.
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Questioned criteria
On Tuesday, Erika questioned the criteria adopted for campaign financing and compared the amount to be received by her with the budget expected for other names, with less time in Congress or in the PSOL-Rede federation. In Lauro Jardim’s column, the deputy stated that she was committed to remaining in PSOL so that the party could reach the barrier clause and, for this, she would be entitled to more defined resources for a category of vote pullers.
In a post on social media, the deputy mentions state deputies Renata Souza (RJ) and Carlos Giannazi (SP) and councilor Rick Azevedo (RJ) — who will receive R$900,000, like other councilors who will run for the Chamber of Deputies — as other parliamentarians who would be dissatisfied with the management.
The parliamentarian also stated that she was informed by allies that the national executive presented a spreadsheet that would not have included her in the agreed range and that she did not have access to the document.
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“Today, Juliano Medeiros, president of the PSOL-Rede Federation, in his first candidacy, would have exactly the same priority as me. Manuela d’Ávila, who has just arrived at the party, is expected to receive more than twice as much. I respect their trajectory and would love to see them elected, but this is white and cis privilege overriding everything: the agreements made with us, serious electoral calculations… Political intelligence has gone a long way”, he said.
Manuela is a pre-candidate for the Senate in Rio Grande do Sul and leads polls of voting intentions. A supporter of the Gaucho left, Manuela is part of the government led by Juliana Brizola (PDT) and Edegar Pretto (PT). Medeiros will compete for a seat in the Chamber for São Paulo, as will Natalia Boulos, who is close to Erika.
The party expects Manuela d’Ávila to receive R$5 million. The acronym argues that the value should be higher because it is a majority election and because it assesses that her campaign will have a proportional boost in Rio Grande do Sul, that is, make more federal deputies in the state. She will receive the maximum amount allocated to candidates for the Senate. Medeiros and Natalia Boulos will, in turn, receive R$2 million each.
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In Lauro Jardim’s column, Erika exemplified that, on the state ticket in São Paulo, Luiza Erundina would receive more than those trying to be re-elected. According to PSOL, it would go to the federal level, go to the state level and is seen as a vote-puller. He will receive much less than if he went to the federal government, but it will be more than the average, adds the caption.
