Governors maintain plans for 2026 after Flávio Bolsonaro’s nomination for President
Governors of states in the South and Southeast of Brazil do not intend, at this time, to change their political plans for 2026, after the choice of senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) as candidate for the country’s Presidency, according to statements at a meeting this Saturday at the Guanabara Palace.
The choice of Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), announced the day before, was made by his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is in prison after being convicted of an attempted coup d’état, in addition to being ineligible due to a decision by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).
Zema respects choice, but follows plan
The governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema (Novo), declared that he respects Jair Bolsonaro’s choice, but follows the plan to decompatibilize the position until April 2026 to position himself as a pre-candidate for the Presidency.
“My pre-candidacy doesn’t change anything; I was with the former president and told Jair Bolsonaro that. I think the more candidates the better for the right (to try to defeat President Lula)”, he told journalists, this Saturday (06), during the Meeting of the Consortium for the Integration of the Southern and Southeastern States (Cosud), which brings together governors from the South and Southeast regions, in the capital of Rio de Janeiro.
Milk wants to be an alternative
Another who maintains his pre-candidacy is the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, who left the PSDB for the PSD. He said he wants to be an alternative to the polarization that is harmful to Brazilian politics and society.
“It’s the aspiration to lead this process… I’m not in politics to be just another person, but to do something… I maintain this aspiration to be a candidate. I continue as an alternative offer to Brazil”, he assessed.
Ratinho says that PSD wants to be a protagonist
PSD chiefs, however, are considering launching Leite as a candidate for the Senate in 2026. The governor of Paraná, Ratinho Junior, considered that the party, under the guidance of Gilberto Kassab, should define the political project for 2026 at the beginning of next year. According to him, the party could have its own candidacy or establish an alliance with someone on the center-right.
“The PSD wants to be a protagonist: it could be as the main actor or in an alliance with Zema, (with governor of Goiás Ronaldo) Caiado and even Flávio”, he declared.
Flávio Bolsonaro candidate shakes financial market
The choice of Jair Bolsonaro’s eldest son shook markets in Brazil on Friday, causing DI rates to shoot up more than 50 basis points and the dollar to rise close to 3% against the real, while the Ibovespa plummeted by more than 4%.
The information was poorly received by investors, who see it as an obstacle to the presidential candidacy of the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), the market favorite, who did not participate in Cosud this Saturday.
Before being launched to the Presidency, Flávio Bolsonaro would be a candidate for the Senate for the State of Rio. The governor of Rio, Cláudio Castro (PL), has already considered the possibility of running for the Senate seat and, with the entry of Flávio Bolsonaro into the dispute, the path may be open.
“Flávio’s decision does not affect my political plan in any way. It depends on the moment Rio is going through in terms of public security in 2026. If my political camp thinks I can collaborate, I may come; I will listen to the party”, stated Castro.
The governor of Santa Catarina, Jorginho Mello (PL), added that his candidate was Jair Bolsonaro and supports the former president’s choice.
