The division of the allied base in Maranhão raised the alarm of the president (), who is negotiating a pacification between governor Carlos Brandão (no party) and the remaining political group of the government, currently minister of the (Supreme Federal Court).
Lula was in Imperatriz, the second largest city in Maranhão, this week, where he inaugurated a housing complex. On the occasion, he made an appeal for the unity of his allies in the state in an interview with TV Mirante.
“They have to really weigh the responsibility of what they are going to do because when we start fighting at home, the disagreement reaches a level that can no longer be fixed. If we play on duty, we end up giving our opponent the chance to win that he doesn’t have today”, he stated.
Around the president, concern is growing that the fracture in the base will end up giving impetus to an opposition candidate, repeating the 2020 election in São Luís.
Two names are competing for Lula’s support in 2026. The governor works under the name of (), his nephew and secretary of his administration. Those closest to Dino defend the candidacy of the vice-governor (PT), a name that has the support of part of the militancy, but little support from the party leadership.
The opposition is divided between the mayor of São Luís, Eduardo Braide (PSD), who has not decided whether he will resign to be a candidate, and the Bolsonarist Lahesio Bonfim (Novo), second place in 2022.
Uniting his allies in the state, however, will not be an easy task for Lula. The crisis between the Brandão and Dino groups took shape last year and has only grown since then. The assessment on both sides is that there has been a breach of trust and that the rupture has reached a point of no return.
Carlos Brandão and Flávio Dino have an on-and-off political relationship and when the then Minister of Justice in the Lula government was appointed to the STF. Even though they were distant, they did not break political relations.
Brandão was Dino’s deputy and took over the Government of Maranhão in April 2022, when Dino resigned to run for the Senate, was re-elected in the first round and expanded his political base.
Since then, the two groups have been engaged in disputes in the political field, such as in the election for the presidency of the Legislative Assembly, and in the judicial field, with an impact even on the choice of advisors for the State Court of Auditors.
In August, the gap increased even further after senator Ana Paula Lobato, who was Dino’s deputy, joined the e . Brandão, who led the party, left the party.
The dialogue between Brandão and vice-governor Felipe Camarão, which had been maintained despite differences between them, has ceased in recent months, and the atmosphere is one of rupture. The vice is from the mayor of São Luís, Eduardo Braide (PSD).
Around the governor, the assessment is that the opposition to Brandão is led by a minority group, including senator Ana Paula, state deputies Othelino Neto (Solidariedade), Carlos Lula (PSB) and Rodrigo Lago (PC do B) and federal deputy Márcio Jerry (PC do B).
Brandão’s allies highlight as an asset to win Lula’s support a broad base, with around 180 mayors and the support of conservative sectors, including parties such as the minister’s (Sports) and .
On Monday (6), Fufuca, despite pressure from his party, resigned from his position.
Dino’s former allies, in turn, say that the governor has distanced himself from the left and has criticized the period of government of the current STF minister. They also criticize what they say is Brandão’s personalism in endorsing his nephew’s pre-candidacy for his succession.
The governor assesses that there is a departure from Dino, but tells allies in the activities of his former political group. Dinistas also deny any activity by Dino, who, due to the position he holds, cannot be active in party politics.
The PT tends to be decisive in the state’s electoral chess. The party has positions in the Brandão government, but without a leading role in management. The tendency is for the party to follow the negotiation guidelines that will be led by Lula and the national directory.
“President Lula signaled for pacification and will lead negotiations to build a path of unity”, stated federal deputy Rubens Pereira Júnior (PT).
Lula and Brandão scheduled a conversation for next week, when they should try to reach an agreement on the succession.
