Affiliated this week to the PSD by the governor of Paraná, Ratinho Júnior (PSD), journalist Cristina Graeml declared support for the candidacy of senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) for the Planalto. The demonstration was published by her on social media after receiving online criticism from supporters and allies for aligning with Ratinho. In the state, the governor intends to launch a candidate as his successor to face senator Sérgio Moro (PL-PR), supported by Flávio.
“Nothing has changed, Flávio Bolsonaro is my pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic”, he wrote in the caption of a photo published alongside the senator. In the comments on the publication, federal deputy André Fernandes (PL-CE) asked her to “rethink her position” and accept an invitation to go to the PL. “You will be a great federal deputy and our friends Filipe Barros (PL-PR) and Deltan Dallagnol (Novo-PR) will be great senators.
In the PSD, she has been tipped to run for the Senate or vice-president on a ticket to succeed Ratinho, who recently gave up the national flight to organize his political group in the state. Nationally, after the governor of Paraná left the scene, the party decided to launch the candidacy of governor Ronaldo Caiado (PSD), who will compete for the right-wing votes with Flávio.
Find out who Cristina Graeml is
In 2024, Cristina ran for mayor of Curitiba for the Brazilian Women’s Party (PMB) and reached the second round with the support of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who authorized the candidate to use her image in the campaign. The former president’s decision was contrary to the actions of the PL state directory, which, at the time, was part of Eduardo Pimentel’s coalition, who was running as successor to the then mayor Rafael Greca (previously in the PSD, but now in the MDB).
At the end of the election, Cristina was defeated by Pimentel and announced her departure from the PMB, with plans to run in 2026. Last year, she even joined União Brasil, given the possibility of a future composition with Moro and the intention of launching herself as a candidate for the Senate, but now she has changed her acronym to the PSD.
In the new party, she will join Ratinho’s base, who will have to choose a candidate to run for government and stand up to Moro. Among those who have been considered, the Secretary of Cities, Guto Silva, is seen as the favorite, but concerns part of the base for not emerging in voting intention polls as competitive against Moro.
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Another option that was considered was the president of the Legislative Assembly, Alexandre Curi, who migrated to the Republicans to launch his own candidacy amid the lack of definition of the PSDB in the state. Greca’s name was mentioned due to her popularity in the capital, but she recently left the PSD for the MDB, a move that reduces the chances of being chosen.
In recent weeks, the name of the current mayor of Curitiba, Eduardo Pimentel (PSD), also began to be mentioned, but, while carrying out an agenda in the capital last Monday, he denied the possibility of entering the dispute. This is because, to become a candidate, Pimentel would need to resign from the position by tomorrow and leave the city hall, still in his first term, in the hands of the vice-mayor, Paulo Martins (Novo), linked to the political group that will support Moro.
— I have a commitment to the people of Curitiba. I’m happy that my name was remembered, but there was no formal invitation. I am delivering my government plan and will remain in management – he said at the time.
