Center parties, especially PSDB and Podemos, managed to remain relevant in the Brazilian political scene despite the risk of extinction due to the barrier clause, assessed political analyst Pedro Venceslau, on the program Map of two matches.
According to Venceslau, these acronyms were surprising in the last elections, even without great national leaders. The PSDB, which had been in agony since the 2018 election, when Geraldo Alckmin obtained just 5% of the votes, managed to elect 11 federal deputies, exceeding expectations.
“They are two acronyms that do not have great leaders, or at least they did not have great leaders, but they have local structures without power struggles”, explained the analyst. This characteristic allowed parties to offer regional leaders undisputed control of directories, without internal questions.
Emblematic cases in different states
The analyst cited concrete examples of this strategy. In Ceará, Tasso Jereissati, who heads the local PSDB, offered the acronym for Ciro Gomes to run for state government “with the guarantee that there will be no one questioning his leadership”.
Another case mentioned was that of the mayor of Maceió, João Henrique Caldas, who surprised by leaving city hall with the possibility of running for office, having the freedom to make his own political decisions without facing internal resistance within the party.
Venceslau also highlighted the situation in Goiás, where, former governor and candidate again for state government for the PSDB, he established a veiled proximity to the PT, taking advantage of other political groups. “For him, it is interesting to have the support that is still veiled here from the PT and vice versa”, he analyzed.
