President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) suggested that Education Minister Camilo Santana (PT-CE) could step aside to run for a position in elections in the second half of this year. Lula, however, did not say which seat would be contested by the supporter.
— Camilo is not a candidate, but he will step aside to keep an eye on it, expectantly. If necessary, he is a candidate, and he will help Brazil — said the PT member during an event to inaugurate a new area at the University Hospital of the Federal University of São Carlos (HU-UFSCar).
The statement was made three days after a Datafolha survey showed that former minister Ciro Gomes (PSDB) leads the vote for governor in Ceará, with 47%, while PT member Elmano de Freitas, currently in office, is second (32%). Camilo Santana has already held the position for two terms, between 2015 and 2022. In the last election, he was elected senator.
Datafolha indicated that in a second round between Elmano and Ciro the distance between the two tends to increase, reaching 19 percentage points (56% x 37%). The survey also showed that in the first round, senator Eduardo Girão (Novo) is in third place, with 5%, but technically tied with Jarir Pereira (Psol) and Zé Batista (PSTU), both with 2%.
Lula’s statement this Wednesday was not the first time he associated Santana’s departure from the ministry with the elections. On Monday, the PT member had said that he would leave his position to “participate in the campaign”.
— My fellow Minister of Education, who is leaving us now. He is asking to leave because he has an election campaign. And he, although not a candidate, wants to participate in the campaign — said Lula during a ceremony in Brasília to hand over the National Commitment to Literacy Seal.
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