The president () cited criticism from mayors of the governor (Republicans) on the same day he was expected to officially announce the choice of .
Lula and Haddad participate this Thursday (19) in a series of meetings in São Paulo, which mark the farewell of the Minister of Finance and the beginning of the campaign against Tarcísio. The president is also in the federal government.
“From what I know, mayors are poorly received by the state government,” said Lula, when nudging Tarcísio, at the opening of the Caravana Federativa, a federal government action event, at Expo Center Norte, in the south zone of the capital of São Paulo.
Organized by the SRI (Secretariat for Institutional Relations), currently headed by minister Gleisi Hoffmann (PT), these caravans are traveling events held since 2023 with the aim of “bringing representatives of federal bodies to states and municipalities, facilitating dialogue with public managers”.
According to the government, the caravans have already taken place in Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Tocantins, Maranhão, Ceará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Amapá, Piauí and Pará. The initiative is part of the Federative Portal, which seeks to improve relations between the Union and other entities of the federation.
Even without mentioning Tarcísio by name, the president made reference to one of the most common complaints from São Paulo mayors, that they would not be. During the event, in which he was accompanied by 15 ministers, Lula declared that mayors “should not be afraid to demand” the president and governors.
The PT member congratulated the “applicants for some position in the elections present here”. Before Lula’s speech, Haddad confirmed that he is leaving the ministry.
The president said that the country’s economic situation “could be better, if we weren’t caught by surprise by a war.”
“I never asked anyone to agree with the Iranian regime. I don’t agree myself. But we need to respect the self-determination of the people, the territorial integrity of the countries. We can’t have someone getting up in the morning and saying ‘I’m going to take Greenland, I’m going to take the Panama Canal, I’m going to take Cuba, I’m going to take Venezuela'”, he said.
Lula also recalled Brazil’s participation in the attempt to sign an agreement with Iran on nuclear weapons in 2010. The president criticized the actions of the USA and European countries at the time.
“When I thought that Brazil and Turkey, who made the agreement with Iran, were going to win the Nobel Peace Prize, what happened? The United States and the European Union increased the blockade. I understood that this happened because Brazil is not part of the elite of countries on the UN Security Council.”
Then, Lula cited one, which shows the “difference between Brazil’s agreement and the American blockade”, according to the president.
Haddad
Haddad is expected to announce his pre-candidacy for the Government of São Paulo, alongside the president, in an interview scheduled for 7pm at the Metalworkers Union of São Bernardo do Campo, Lula’s political birthplace.
“It’s a very special day, because I’m leaving the world”, declared Haddad at the opening of the Federative Caravan at Expo Center Norte, in São Paulo.
The head of the Treasury resisted, for months, being the PT candidate in São Paulo, claiming he preferred to coordinate the president’s re-election campaign. However, he agreed to join the state government again after much insistence from Lula.
“Politics sometimes seems like war, but I want to bear witness here that the president [Lula] He told us to look at what interests the population”, said Haddad.
At the event, the minister was praised by vice-president Geraldo Alckmin. “You have one of the rare virtues of public life: the courage of moderation,” he said.
“Haddad will go down in history as the most successful Finance Minister in the history of this country for having approved a tax reform that had been stalled for 40 years,” declared Lula.
The president asked Dario Durigan, executive secretary of Finance, to stand up and confirmed him as the new minister of the portfolio. “Take a good look at his face, he’s the one you’re going to demand a lot of things from,” he said.
Before formally announcing his pre-candidacy, Haddad will also participate in an agenda with Lula at UFABC (Federal University of ABC), a tribute to former Uruguayan president Pepe Mujica (1935-2025).
It is also expected that Lula and Haddad will signal the pre-candidacy of minister Simone Tebet (Planning) for the Senate in São Paulo. Tebet is a member of the MDB in Mato Grosso do Sul and must not only change her electoral domicile but also change parties – the PSB is seen as the most likely destination.
José Adinan Ortolan, president of AMPPESP (Association of Small Municipalities of the State of São Paulo), made a brief nod to Tebet’s pre-candidacy at Expo Center Norte. “Our new countrywoman, Simone Tebet. Welcome,” he said.
Also present at the opening of the Federative Caravan were ministers Guilherme Boulos (General Secretariat), Marina Silva (Environment), Gleisi Hoffmann (Institutional Relations), Paulo Teixeira (Agrarian Development), Silvio Costa Filho (Ports and Airports), Margareth Menezes (Culture), Luiz Marinho (Labour), Wellington Dias (Social Development), Márcio França (Entrepreneurship), Luciana Santos (Science), Gustavo Feliciano (Tourism) and Sônia Guajajara (Indigenous Peoples).
The massive presence of ministers was arranged by the Palácio do Planalto so that there would be unity around Haddad.
According to , Tarcísio de Freitas has 44% of the electorate’s preference, while Haddad has 31% of the votes in the first round simulation.
Haddad faced Tarcísio in the race for the governor of São Paulo in 2022 and, despite being defeated in the second round, he achieved an important result to reduce the difference between Lula and (PL) at a national level and guarantee the election of the PT member.
The PT’s bet is to maintain or further reduce this difference in the state, which represents the largest electoral college in the country.
