The president () should visit the governor of the state this week. Unhappy with the lack of definition, the PT’s Minas Gerais directory began to pressure the president for a decision.
The names already considered so far have divided the opinions of Lula’s allies. The local PT directory approved, in May, the idea of building its own candidacy. This, however, is the hypothesis with the most remote chances, in the view of sources around the president.
The most likely thing is that Lula will decide to launch the businessman () or join the already placed pre-candidacy of the former mayor of Gabriel Azevedo (). The former attorney general of Minas Gerais Jarbas Soares (PSB) is out.
Josué is the son of businessman José Alencar, Lula’s deputy in his first two governments. He has a long-standing relationship with the head of the Executive and is one of the main bridges between the PT member and the private sector. He was also president of Fiesp (Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo).
According to the president’s allies, Gabriel Azevedo is currently the one who would have the greatest chance of heading the alliance supporting Lula in the state. But he still faces resistance within the party.
The lack of a platform in Minas is the main problem of Lula’s pre-campaign. The Minas Gerais electorate is the second largest in the country. A good vote on the spot is essential for the President of the Republic’s re-election plans.
Previously unknown to PT members outside of Minas Gerais, Azevedo has gained strength among Lula’s closest political core in recent weeks. In addition to the support of the president’s friends, the ability to add at least one more party, the MDB, to the ticket that will support the re-election of the President of the Republic in the state weighs in his favor.
There is a fear in Minas Gerais PT sectors of projecting Azevedo and him becoming an opponent in the future. For example: if he gets a good vote with Lula’s support, even if he is not elected, Azevedo becomes a natural candidate for mayor of Belo Horizonte in 2028 or for the government again in 2030, when a PT member could run for office.
These groups also say they are reticent about a possible alliance with Azevedo because he is from a party that will not support Lula nationally. In other states, such as Alagoas, the PT is expected to support Emedebist candidates.
Resistance, however, is not unanimous. The former mayor of Contagem Marília Campos (PT), for example, has defended a negotiation that would expand the ticket — which could be done through an alliance with MDB and PSB.
“PSB and MDB should make an agreement and a proposal, involving the PT, of a general composition involving the vice and the second name for the “, said she, who is a pre-candidate for the Senate. Thus, these two parties could nominate a candidate for governor and a candidate for senator.
Lula even considered moving Marília to compete for state government, but abandoned the idea. They weighed the former mayor’s insistence on running for a seat in the Senate and the assessment that she has a real chance of being elected. The party’s national president, Edinho Silva, confirmed this Tuesday that she will run for a senator’s seat.
“I am convinced that Gabriel is the best candidate we have. He is the candidate of the broad front”, said PT member João Batista dos Mares Guia, pre-candidate for federal deputy. He is the brother of former minister Walfrido dos Mares Guia, a friend of Lula.
In recent days, the PT’s Minas Gerais directory sent a message to the President of the Republic requesting a hearing. Party members want to present their arguments directly to the head of government and for him to decide more quickly with whom he will ally.
PT supporters in the state say that the president made a mistake in political construction in Minas Gerais, and that the situation has reached a point that only he is capable of resolving.
“The ideal is for us to have a single candidacy from this entire progressive field, which is what we were looking for with the [senador do PSB] . The instruments for this do not depend solely on the state directorate”, said deputy Rogério Correia (PT-MG). According to him, a solution needs to be created between the state and national directors of the PT, in addition to the President of the Republic himself.
Lula’s allies in Minas privately criticize him for having bet everything on a Pacheco candidacy. This prohibited negotiations within the PT and with other political forces for months. At the end of May, Senator .
The PT leadership also tried to restore the alliance with (PDT), who was Lula’s candidate for the government of Minas Gerais in 2022 and intends to run again for the position, but it was not possible to reach an agreement for the first round.
The PT member must travel to Minas Gerais on Friday (19). The agenda is not confirmed, but should include the opening of a hospital in Divinópolis. It is also possible that the president will visit the capital Belo Horizonte.
