The position of General Secretariat of the Presidency opened a dispute on the left over its electoral assets. In 2022, he obtained , being the most voted in the Chamber of Deputies.
Appointed to the ministry of (), Boulos has already informed his party, , that he does not intend to run in the next elections, despite being well placed in the polls for .
Without Boulos on the ticket, PSOLists organize their pre-campaigns with an eye on their voters, while PT members devise a strategy to win back supporters who migrated to PSOL, especially in the outskirts.
In PSOL, some names emerge as successors to Boulos, starting with his wife, Natália Szermeta, who is expected to adopt her husband’s surname in the elections. Also a leader of the MTST (Homeless Workers Movement), the lawyer is named as the recipient of the now minister’s votes.
The deputy is expected to increase her electoral base, thanks to her exposure on the networks, in particular the capitalization of the campaign to reduce working hours. Although she is not part of Boulos’ group in the party, Sâmia Bomfim is also listed as receiving part of the votes.
Former president of PSOL, Juliano Medeiros should run with the support of federal deputy Ivan Valente, if he does not run in 2026, and could attract a portion of this electorate.
Today at Alesp (Legislative Assembly of São Paulo), Marina Helou (Rede) and Guilherme Cortez (PSOL) are being considered for the race for federal deputies. Another name at the table is that of the national secretary of Peripheries, Guilherme Simões, from the Ministry of Cities.
In the PT, the strategy will be to search for Boulos voters in the outskirts of São Paulo.
In the so-called “opinion vote”, federal deputy Rui Falcão (PT’s most voted voter in 2022); the former minister; and the party’s national president, Edinho Silva, are leading the bets to obtain chunks of Boulos’ vote.
The name of the former mayor is remembered for the dispute, as is that of the former president of the Chamber João Paulo Cunha.
Among PT leaders, including Edinho, there are those who defend the launch of the name of councilor Luna Zaratini to attract young voters. The idea would be to invest in your campaign to attract votes for the Chamber, similar to Alesp’s performance in 2022.
In the last elections, the PT state bench received more votes than the PT ticket. In the calculations of some PT members, Luna’s participation could increase the PT’s vote in São Paulo.
Another wing of the party disagrees, claiming that the councilor should consolidate her presence in the capital, even more so if her objective is city hall. Lula himself would have doubts about this strategy. A premature candidacy could undermine his legacy in the city.
In addition, Luna already supports a name for state deputy with whom federal pre-candidates have already entered into partnerships.
Apart from the search for a candidate capable of winning over young voters, some PT leaders suggest another formula for strengthening São Paulo: the formation of a left-wing federation that includes PSOL and PSB.
PT leaders recommend calm to supporters of the proposal, stating that this is not a time to defend it. But the debate could gain strength if the PSOL believed in the risk of not reaching the necessary vote to guarantee full functioning in Parliament. At PSOL, today this threat is seen as remote.
There was also the possibility that Boulos would not repeat the same result as in 2022 for the Chamber of Deputies, if he tried for re-election. The minister’s own allies admit that other names could surpass him, after defeat in the race for mayor.
They also remember that, in 2022, he was a constant presence on Lula’s platform, but that in 2026 the space will be contested by other supporters of the president. In 2024, Lula personally intervened so that the PT supported him.
The Palácio do Planalto announced for this Wednesday (29) the inauguration of Boulos as minister of the General Secretariat. Listed since the beginning of the year, but announced only last week, he takes over from Márcio Macêdo.
In , he stated that Lula gave him “the mission of helping to put the government on the streets.”
