The withdrawal of the governor of Paraná from running for President of the Republic took allies by surprise. Until then, he was seen in the PSD as the party’s favorite to run for Planalto. According to interlocutors, the decision announced this Monday (23) was influenced by the decision to run for the government of Paraná and also by appeals from family members.
Secretaries close to Ratinho and two allies told the Sheet that the main reason for the withdrawal was the resistance of the governor’s family, who were against the exposure of a national dispute. The governor’s father is television presenter and businessman Carlos Roberto Massa, known as Ratinho, who opposed the candidacy. His daughters also tried to dissuade him from the idea.
Hours before announcing the change of plans, however, Ratinho gave contradictory signals to his base and led a lunch with state deputies from his political group as a farewell to the Iguaçu Palace.
The meeting had already been scheduled a few days ago, and was attended by vice-governor Darci Piana (PSD), who would take over the government if the governor maintained the presidential plan. At the meeting, according to a deputy present, he even said that Piana would continue his management, which was interpreted by parliamentarians as confirmation that he would resign to run for another position.
Around 40 state deputies participated, including some who support Moro’s candidacy. At the meeting, the governor did not say who his candidate would be.
According to PSD leaders, Ratinho communicated his withdrawal to the PSD president, Gilberto Kassab, hours before announcing it publicly. The party’s other pre-candidates for President, governors Ronaldo Caiado (GO) and Eduardo Leite (RS), were not notified in advance. The tendency is for the party to choose Caiado as its candidate.
Allies say that Ratinho has expressed doubts in recent weeks about his presidential candidacy project. Two weeks ago, however, he met with the PL campaign coordinator, senator Rogério Marinho, and rejected the possibility of giving up his presidential candidacy in exchange for an agreement to maintain the alliance with the Bolsonarists in his state, aiming for succession.
The situation became more difficult when Flávio Bolsonaro, a pre-candidate for the Presidency of the PL, decided to support Senator Sergio Moro to run for the government of Paraná, in a decision announced last Wednesday (18). The move made life difficult for the current governor of Paraná, who runs the risk of not having a successor. Moro will join this Tuesday (24), at 11am.
Ratinho’s interlocutors informed that, with his withdrawal, he would focus on the election in the state and work to hand over the keys to the Iguaçu Palace to an allied successor, that is, who will need to defeat Sergio Moro. He has not yet announced who will be chosen, but allies say the decision could be announced this Tuesday (24). Among those listed are the Secretary of Cities, Guto Silva (PSD) –until now his favorite–, and the president of the legislative assembly, Alexandre Curi (PSD).
In a statement, the current governor stated that he will no longer resign from his position, also ruling out the possibility of running for another position, such as the Senate.
“Governor Ratinho Junior decided to complete his term in Paraná by December this year. Therefore, he will no longer participate in the internal discussion of the PSD (Social Democratic Party), which will choose a candidate willing to run in this year’s presidential elections. The decision was taken on the night of this Sunday, 22nd, after deep reflection with his family”, stated the statement.
The withdrawal left the governor of Goiás closer to being the party’s candidate for Planalto. Gilberto Kassab’s party also has another pre-candidate, governor Eduardo Leite (RS), but behind the scenes the party from Goiás has become the broad favorite to reach the polls.
