PT do Piauí disagrees on support for Ciro Nogueira

Amid Senator Ciro Nogueira’s (PP) attempt to get closer to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to garner support for his re-election in Piauí, PT leaders in the state disagree on the possibility of signing an agreement with the president of Progressistas. In the 2022 elections, the senator campaigned for former president Jair Bolsonaro after years of being an ally of PT governments, which is seen by local politicians as a betrayal.

Currently, the government names already established as candidates for the Senate are senator Marcelo Castro (MDB) and federal deputy Júlio César (PSD). Both are leaders of their parties’ local directories, which tend to be released by national presidents to articulate political arrangements that they consider more strategic.

Presided by Gilberto Kassab, the PSD brings together three right-wing presidential candidates and, at the same time, integrates the base of mandates aligned with the Planalto. The MDB, led by federal deputy Baleia Rossi (SP), has 16 of its 27 state nuclei opposed to an approximation with the government, but began to be courted by Lula with a possible vacancy for the Vice Presidency.

Ciro, in turn, met with Lula and the president of the Chamber, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), to propose neutrality in the presidential elections in exchange for the government showing support only for Castro in Piauí. The existence of the meeting, reported by the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, was denied by Ciro, although allies of the PP president confirmed the conversation.

The movement, however, was promptly rejected by the president of the PT in Piauí, state deputy Fábio Novo. The parliamentarian stated, at the beginning of the month, that Ciro “had many chances” to become an ally, but “in all of them he betrayed” the leftists.

The parliamentarian mentioned that, in 2021, the senator became minister of the Civil House in the Bolsonaro government. In 2016, after campaigning for the re-election of former president Dilma Rousseff, Fábio Novo recalled that Ciro voted in favor of the PT member’s impeachment.

“There is no third chance for such a cold Judas Iscariot. We won all the matches against Brazil and Piauí. In the PT of Piauí, no rapprochement is even considered. A dog bitten by a snake is afraid of sausage”, joked Novo, in X.

Agreement in the second round

At the same time, another PT name in the state, federal deputy Flávio Nogueira, considers that “anything can happen” in relation to the rapprochement with Ciro. The parliamentarian argues that the party must carry out its alliances by “tying up” the second round as well, when it may be necessary to attract more robust support for the re-elections of President Lula and Governor Rafael Fonteles (PT).

— It’s my personal opinion. We can, yes, accept at least starting a dialogue to see if this can actually happen, with a program that is capable of pleasing, at the very least, all parties in this likely alliance — says Nogueira.

The deputy emphasizes that national PT leaders should agree on programmatic commitments with potential allies in the period after the elections, mainly in Congress, the most fiercely contested field for the government. Regarding the vacancies in the Senate, however, Nogueira assesses that the list was formed by the Piauí directory in a “hasty” way, and the decision should be taken “in Brasília”.

— In the heat of approaching conventions, agreements are signed that cannot be fulfilled. We wanted a PT senator candidate. I introduced myself, but there was already an agreement signed between them (Castro and Júlio César) — explains the parliamentarian.

After the movement, Júlio César reaffirmed that the political project around his candidacy has been defined. Last Tuesday, he shared a statement from the national president of the PT, Edinho Silva, who stated that the electoral tactics in Piauí are already “decided and deliberated”.

— Our electoral tactics in Piauí are decided, deliberate. The governor is up for re-election, and the Senate are Marcelo and Júlio César. We will not change it in any way. We respect the construction that the PT of Piauí did and that is untouchable — Edinho told GloboNews.

For the deputy, the position endorses what “is already clear” in the state with the construction of a project prepared “with unity, dialogue and commitment”. Furthermore, Júlio César argues that national support organizes and provides stability and security for political debate in the state.

The parliamentarian went to São Paulo to visit Kassab, last week, to talk about his pre-candidacy. According to Júlio César, the meeting was marked by the PSD’s “unconditional support” for the project that involves campaigns in favor of Fonteles and Lula. The assessment is that the party respects the realities in each state and understands the importance of maintaining the commitments made over the years.

— We support the PT, we already had an agreement with President Kassab about this. As for an alignment between the local PT and the PP, both Edinho and the leaders of Piauí have already made it clear that this did not happen — said Júlio César.

On Castro’s side, state deputy Dr. Hélio (MDB) told Conecta Piauí, on February 6, that the emedebistas remain calm about the established project. The alliance with Fonteles foresees that the PT will nominate the pre-candidate for vice-governor, while the MDB will be considered as the pre-candidate for the Senate. When contacted, Castro did not comment on the movements.