After Flávio Bolsonaro decided to support Moro for the government of Paraná, the governor began to run the risk of not making a successor or electing someone to the Senate
The pre-candidacy of (PSD) to the Plateau was but the scenario changed due to signs of political fragility. The governor lost party support and saw the PL pre-candidate for President, declare that it will support (PL-PR) to the government of Paraná. Given this context, he began to consider staying at the Iguaçu Palace to be more advantageous.
The decision was made on Sunday night (22 March 2026), after conversations with the family. The national president of the PSD, , was on this 2Thursday (23rd March).
For Ratinho Junior, the risk of not being able to make a viable successor in Paraná, opening space for Moro – than the disputes in the State. Flávio’s decision to support the former Lava Jato judge andThis further weakened the governor’s chances of establishing an ally, along with the lack of support from other parties, such as Novo.
With the departure of the former mayor of Curitiba for the MDB, aiming to compete for the government of Paraná, the PSD’s options were limited:
- Alexandre Curipresident of the Legislative Assembly of Paraná;
- Eduardo Pimentelmayor of Curitiba;
- Guto Silvastate secretary of Cities.
The lack of competitive names to run for the Senate also weighed heavily.
If he left office to run for Planalto and was defeated, Ratinho Junior would run the risk of losing space in the State itself, with the strengthening of the opposing camp, not being able to elect senators and still seeing the absence of a viable successor to the government consolidated.
In this scenario, the decision to remain in office was seen as a way of preserving political capital until 2026, trying to strengthen a government candidate capable of facing Moro and, at the same time, enabling the election of at least one ally to the Senate, avoiding being left without a power base from 2027 onwards.
Hours before announcing his resignation, Ratinho Junior held a lunch with around 40 deputies, but the tone during the meeting was one of farewell, not that the governor would remain in office until the end of his term.
