About to be passed over in the formation of the governor’s ticket () in October, senator Angelo Coronel (-BA) increased the pressure on the PT, activated the PSD’s national leadership and tensioned the president’s base (PT) in Bahia.
This Saturday (31), Angelo Coronel announced that he would leave the PSD for the October elections.
The movement takes place amid the PT’s efforts to form a pure ticket in the state, with candidates for the minister of the Civil House, and the senator, both former governors.
With 115 city halls in Bahia, the PSD has been the main ally of the PT governments in the state since its foundation in 2011. The party is led by the senator (PSD-BA), an ally of President Lula.
Angelo Coronel went to São Paulo on Wednesday (28) accompanied by his son, federal deputy Diego Coronel (PSD-BA). Both had lunch with , national president of the PSD, and expressed their dissatisfactions.
In the conversation, the senator criticized the PT in Bahia and proposed that the PSD not be part of the party if it is passed over.
The proposal made to Kassab generated sparks between Angelo Coronel and Otto Alencar, who have been political allies, compadres and friends for almost 40 years. Coronel’s movement towards the PSD’s national leadership was seen within the party as a breach of trust.
Kassab listened to the senator, but signaled that the decision on the platform in Bahia would be made by Otto Alencar. On the same day, he called to warn him about his ally’s complaints.
The meeting in São Paulo took place after the PSD announced the affiliation of the governor of Goiás, who joined the governors (Paraná) and (Rio Grande do Sul) as the party’s presidential candidates in the election against Lula.
Coronel says he sought out Kassab to understand the position of the PSD, which has been articulating its own candidacy for Planalto, but in Bahia remains an ally of the president.
“I think it is a totally incoherent position,” said Coronel, remembering that Caiado is a close ally of (), the main opposition leader in Bahia.
In conversation with the Sheet This Friday (30), Coronel stated that he will not back down in his candidacy for the Senate and once again defended that the PSD maintain a position of neutrality if it is not included on the ticket.
He also stated that, if the PSD did not agree with the separate candidacy, he would look for another party to run for the Senate, which happened. He has been courted by the PSDB.
Otto Alencar, in turn, reaffirmed that the PSD will join Jerônimo Rodrigues’ coalition and highlighted that this is the position defended by the majority of the party’s deputies and mayors.
“There is no chance of a stand-alone candidacy,” said the senator. He also stated that the PSD will not form an alliance with the opposition nor will it support ACM Neto’s candidacy for the Government of Bahia.
In recent months, Otto has been signaling that he will maintain the alliance with the PT even if the party is left out of the majority ticket, a position that bothered Angelo Coronel.
In the same period, the governor also made a nod to Otto, by nominating then federal deputy Otto Alencar Filho (PSD-BA) in December for a seat at the State Court of Auditors.
This Friday, Otto Alencar said that negotiations for participation in the ticket continue and that the parties have until the conventions, in July, to reach a consensus: “We are in no rush.”
The state secretary of Institutional Relations, Adolpho Loyola, also says that nothing has changed: “We neither threw in the towel nor closed the doors to the senator.”
In the Bahia PT, the assessment is that a list with Jerônimo, Jaques Wagner and Rui Costa would have greater political strength to guarantee the governor’s re-election and increase Lula’s vote in the state.
A portion of the party also has restrictions on Coronel: it states that he did not commit to Jerônimo’s campaign in 2022, did not openly oppose the former president (PL) and was absent from important votes, such as the PL of Dosimetria.
Still, the leadership made moves to keep Coronel in Bahia. The proposals included the replacement on the Senate ticket and the nomination of deputy Diego Coronel for the post.
The senator, however, remains adamant in running for reelection based on the relationships he built in his eight years in office, especially with the mayors. But he recognizes that the relationship with the PT members is strained and could be heading towards a point of no return.
“I don’t feel welcomed by the PT militancy. On social media, they say they won’t vote for me”, laments the senator.
