The president of the Chamber, (-PB) demonstrated discontent behind the scenes after the president (PT), declared support for senator Veneziano Vital do Rêgo (MDB-PB). Veneziano will seek re-election and will run against Nabor Wanderley (Republicans), Motta’s father.
Motta and Lula became closer at the end of last year, among other reasons, due to the interest of the president of the Chamber in electing his father to a seat in the Senate. Lula is popular in Paraíba, and his support is important for candidates for positions with a majority election, such as senator.
“Very few times in my life have I, as President of the Republic, had an honest and committed relationship with a senator to help the government like I have with Veneziano. He never lacked any help that the government needed,” said Lula in the support video.
“We need to return Veneziano to the Senate because it is a guarantee that, by winning the elections, I will have more peace of mind to govern this country. A kiss on the heart from Veneziano on election day”, declared the PT member.
The MDB was one of the main points of support for Lula’s current term in the Senate. Members of the party interviewed by the report in recent months assess that the bench could lose senators in this year’s election and that Veneziano is one of those who will have a difficult race with a chance of defeat. That’s why there was expectation of a movement by Lula that would help him.
PT members estimate that the head of government will try to balance between Veneziano and Nabor in the election, as a way of preserving the alliance with both Motta and the Emedebista bench.
Although Lula’s movement caused discontent in Motta, the episode should not lead to a crisis in the relationship between the two powerful presidents, in the opinion of allies heard by the Sheet.
In Hugo Motta’s political group, the perception is that the video should have little effect on Nabor’s campaign. By this reasoning, the pre-candidate’s main problem is that he is little known in the state – which also gives him greater scope for growth until the election. He is making moves to become a more familiar figure to the Paraíba electorate.
Nabor Wanderley was elected mayor of Patos (PB) in 2020, and was re-elected in 2024. The city is around 300 km from , the state capital, and has around 108 thousand inhabitants, according to IBGE.
The President of the Republic is in the final phase of negotiating his local alliances. He has been pressured by allies to record support videos, but so far he has produced little material like the one promoting Veneziano.
People close to Lula assess public statements at this time should be punctual, and gain volume closer to the start of the campaign – the period officially begins on August 16th.
One of the PT member’s priorities, in addition to his own re-election, is to elect a strong bench of senators. Bolsonarism, Lula’s main opposing force, also wants to increase its group of senators, which could make a possible new government of the current President of the Republic difficult.
