Former federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) began publicly defending, on social media, the name of federal deputy Júlia Zanatta (PL-SC) to compose senator Flávio Bolsonaro’s ticket to Planalto, which will be made official at the party’s national convention, scheduled for July 25, in São Paulo.
The move placed the parliamentarian back among the names being analyzed by the party, but has not, to date, changed the formal selection process. PL leaders claim that Eduardo’s offensive was not combined with the party’s leadership and continues to be treated as an individual initiative.
Behind the scenes, there is a consensus that the presence of a woman on the ticket can contribute to reducing resistance among voters and improving dialogue with segments where Bolsonarism faces greater difficulties. The assessment, however, is that the definition of vice will depend mainly on the ability to aggregate support outside the electorate already identified with former president Jair Bolsonaro.
It is at this point that reservations regarding Zanatta arise. Although she is considered one of the voices most aligned with Bolsonarism in Congress and maintains strong identification with the movement’s most loyal base, party members believe that her nomination would have limited reach among centrist voters, the business community and sectors that are less ideologically engaged.
Meanwhile, other names continue to be discussed internally. Among them, that of Senator Tereza Cristina, who continues to be seen by PL leaders as an option with the potential to expand bridges with agribusiness and productive sectors.
Former Minister of Agriculture in the Bolsonaro government, Tereza Cristina is considered a figure with a more moderate profile and with movement in different political groups. Flávio’s allies believe that she could help expand the candidacy beyond the traditional right-wing core.
The senator herself, however, has shown resistance to the possibility of joining the presidential ticket, which keeps the scenario open.
The expectation within the PL is that the definition takes into account both the capacity to mobilize militancy and the potential to attract new electoral segments in a dispute that tends to remain polarized.
