If the audio wasn’t enough, Flávio admitted that he met the former banker after he was arrested in 2025
Finally, Lula found the silver bullet he was looking for to stop Flávio Bolsonaro’s growth. The release of the PL candidate’s conversation with Daniel Vorcaro was a shower of cold water for the opposition and a welcome boost celebrated by the government supporters.
And if the audio wasn’t enough, Flávio admitted that he found the former banker after he was arrested in 2025. That’s a lipstick on his underwear that’s difficult to explain. He said that the purpose of the visit was to put an end to the financing contract for the Dark Horse film.
Who believes?
Could it be? He can. But convincing voters that this story is true is what they do. Was this visit necessary to say that everything was over between them? Wouldn’t a phone call have been enough? Given the circumstances in which the Master’s owner found himself, wouldn’t it have been more convenient to send a lawyer or any other trusted person to say goodbye?
Research has already shown the extent of the damage. Atlas/Bloomberg indicates a drop of six percentage points in Flávio’s voting intentions. Vox Brasil shows similar numbers. According to this research institute, the drop was 5.7 points. Flávio, who had surpassed Lula in absolute numbers in a possible second round, is now well behind. The president has 46.8% and his opponent 38.1%.
Off the agenda
Lula also has a glass ceiling on this Master issue. Although the press did not announce it with much fanfare, the fact that he received Vorcaro at Palácio do Planalto, outside the agenda, seems to be even more serious than Flávio’s conversations with the former banker. According to Poder 360, the meeting was on December 4, 2024. This was the dialogue:
“BTG, owned by André Esteves, wants to buy my bank for R$1.00. I don’t want any confusion. Should I sell and stay in the market? We want to reduce banking concentration in Brazil, president.”
Presidential Council
After using profanity to refer to the then president of the Central Bank, Roberto Campos Neto, who would leave office in a few days, Lula advised Vorcaro to continue with Banco Master and refuse the sale proposal to André Esteves. And they were not alone. Gabriel Galípolo, who would replace Campos Neto in the position, participated in the meeting.
Although there is ammunition on both sides for political warfare, so far the government has had the advantage. Flávio has accepted all interview invitations to explain himself. While presenting his version of the facts, he tries to take advantage of these moments to mention Lula’s meeting with Vorcaro. Some interviewers, however, are not very interested in hearing these accusations. They prefer to talk about the leaked audio and the meeting between him and the banker.
It’s prestigious
Valdemar Costa Neto’s words recall the guarantees given by club presidents shortly before dismissing coaches. The PL president denied that he had given Flávio a 15-day deadline to recover in the polls: “At no time was there an attempt to test Flávio Bolsonaro’s resistance.” Çei.
Both Lula and Flávio will depend on their ability to communicate with the electorate and, thus, determine the direction of the campaign. The first step was taken by Flávio. Advertiser Marcello Lopes, the candidate’s marketer, was replaced by Eduardo Fisher, a highly awarded professional with extensive experience in this activity.
Emotional reactions
Opponents see this exchange as a demonstration of Flávio’s weakness. His allies, however, took the initiative as a quick and timely change on a front that could make a difference in the aftermath of the campaign. As this change had not been planned in advance, only future research will be able to show whether or not the attitude was correct.
It is also important to consider that opinions are based more on emotional aspects at the moment. There is a lot of time until the elections. Candidates are only in pre-campaign. In politics, everything can change from one moment to the next. No one can guarantee whether the “scandals” will end in these episodes.
No program
Candidates’ speeches to achieve their intended objectives must be “surgical” in the sense of disqualifying their opponents and protecting their own image. To achieve this, it will not be enough for them to just talk for the sake of talking. They must rely on qualitative research to calibrate the discourse and meet voters’ desires and expectations.
But what about the government program and proposals? Everything indicates that it won’t be this time. From what we have seen so far, the plans will remain electoral and attacks from both parties will prevail. Follow on Instagram: @polito
*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Jovem Pan.
