In the fight for space in the conservative field, the pre-candidates for President (PSD), (Novo) and Aldo Rebelo (DC) shared the stage on Thursday night (9) during the 39th edition of the Freedom Forum, in , to try to differentiate themselves in front of an electorate also contested by the senator (PL).
Flávio will be at the forum this Friday (10) and, according to the organizers, he did not participate in the panel for scheduling reasons.
Despite the alignment on issues such as amnesty for those involved in the January 8th coup acts and criticism of the Judiciary and the government’s economic policy, the three used their timed speeches on different topics to define.
Caiado sought to present himself as an experienced politician, highlighted his proximity to agribusiness and reaffirmed that, if elected president, his first act would be to grant amnesty to those involved in the 8/1 acts.
His criticisms of the Judiciary, however, are met with resistance from the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, who was defeated in the internal dispute for the pre-candidacy of .
Hours before the event, Leite met with Caiado for the first time since the party’s decision.
after Caiado’s choice and said he was seeking convergence, but publicly disagreed on the amnesty proposal which, according to him, does not contribute to the depolarization agenda.
Zema, who stated that he does not consider himself a politician, defended the aggravation of penalties for crimes committed by public agents, especially those in the Judiciary, but without mentioning names. “Today, in Brazil, someone who passed a judicial exam became a perfect citizen. For me, this is an aberration,” he said.
He also highlighted his electoral trajectory and victory over in 2018, when he defeated then-governor Fernando Pimentel. According to him, the alliance formed for his re-election in 2022, made up of nine parties, would show that his candidacy has the capacity to bring together other parties.
Despite this, he faces challenges on regional platforms such as in Rio Grande do Sul, where he supports federal deputy Marcel van Hattem in the Senate race, while Novo is part of a right-wing ticket aligned with Flávio’s campaign, whose candidate is Luciano Zucco ().
Aldo Rebelo, who testified during the trial of the January 8 acts and had a direct clash with the minister, was the one who most criticized the Federal Supreme Court.
“Brazil is not governable with this. It is ungovernable and this needs to be said”, he stated in his opening speech, shortly after making a reference to a biographical book he wrote about Dom Pedro 1º.
The candidates did not make explicit mention of the former president (PL), who has been under home care since leaving the ICU.
By defining himself as “nationalist and in defense of development” and critical of the actions of international NGOs and what he calls identitarianism, Aldo Rebelo highlighted episodes of divergence with the left even during the period in which he was an ally of the PT to explain his approach to the conservative camp.
He cited clashes with environmentalists when he was rapporteur of the Transgenic Law and the Forest Code, in addition to his opposition to the demarcation of the Raposa Serra do Sol indigenous reserve.
The three also defended conservative leaders on the continent.
Caiado said he would forward a project to Congress to classify factions as terrorist groups, as already defended by Flávio Bolsonaro and the Donald Trump government. Zema already mentioned a visit to a prison in El Salvador, pointing to the security model of Nayib Bukele’s government as an example of reducing homicides.
Aldo Rebelo also defended the tightening of criminal legislation, but related the issue to the role of e CV in . According to him, factions from countries such as Colombia and Venezuela are already active in the region, and he would be open to a partnership to repress drug trafficking with other countries “also in the fight”.
The organizers of the event organized by the liberal think tank IEE (Institute of Business Studies) reported that Lula and other pre-candidates were invited, but did not respond.
On the first day, the forum brought together attractions such as former Bolivian president Tuto Quiroga and businessman Luciano Hang. This Friday, Flávio Bolsonaro’s panel will be followed by a presentation by American economist Deirdre McCloskey.
