The president’s (PT) environment has minimized the situation. The PT’s allies were already expecting the movement, and maintain the assessment that the dispute could be ended in the first round.
PT members were already betting on Ratinho Junior’s withdrawal because they believed that, by entering into a dispute for the Presidency of the Republic, he would put the political capital of his group in Paraná at risk. Senator Sergio Moro’s movements.
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, opposed to the exposure that would occur in a national dispute. The governor’s father is television presenter and businessman Carlos Roberto Massa, known as Ratinho, who was opposed to the candidacy. His daughters also tried to dissuade him from the idea.
Most likely, it will be taken over by the governor of Goiás, . Lula’s allies believe that Caiado will run out of space with the electorate. The assessment is that the dispute will be polarized between the PT member and senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ).
In the opinion of Lula’s allies, Ratinho Junior’s withdrawal leaves the Paraná electorate in dispute. If he were a candidate for Planalto, the governor could dominate the political scene in Paraná and make it difficult for his competitors to campaign.
The sectors around Lula who support this reasoning assess that, on Paraná soil, a candidacy by Ratinho would harm Flávio more than the President of the Republic. The state’s electorate tends to the right and is expected to give the majority of its votes to Jair Bolsonaro’s son in Ratinho’s absence.
Another consideration made by Lulistas is that Caiado tends to make stronger attacks on Lula than Ratinho Junior. This, on the one hand, would increase the wear and tear on the PT member. On the other hand, it could cause a fraction of voters who reject the left to migrate from Flávio Bolsonaro to the PSD candidate.
Despite this, the PT member’s political group is still awaiting the next moves of the PSD president, Gilberto Kassab. Those around Lula are still not sure that there will be a PES candidate in the dispute for the Planalto Palace.
In the note in which he announced that he would not be a candidate, on Monday (23), he said that he will complete his term as governor and that he will then return to work in the private sector.
Despite this, he stated that he will continue to be at the PSD’s disposal “to help Brazil turn the page on its backwardness, create more optimistic perspectives for young people”, citing the objectives of achieving less bureaucracy, tightening criminal laws and strengthening agribusiness.
In addition to Ratinho Junior, now out of the race, and Caiado, the PSD also has the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, as a possible candidate for president.
