SP election is taking shape with Haddad candidate and PL endorsement for Tarcísio

Both President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) advanced in the articulations to form their platforms in São Paulo, the largest electoral college in the country and where the election is moving towards repeating the dispute between Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) and Fernando Haddad (PT) that was fought four years ago. On the one hand, the Finance Minister is no longer so resistant to running for office after meeting with Lula. On the other hand, the current governor yesterday sealed the alliance with Jair Bolsonaro’s son, with whom he posed hand in hand in a photo published on social media to signal that they will walk together in the election after recent friction.

Despite the movement, however, both political groups still face uncertainty. Among the doubts are the role of vice-president Geraldo Alckmin (PSB) in the São Paulo election, the choice of who will occupy Tarcísio’s number two position and the composition of the Senate tickets on the left and right.

At Thursday’s dinner with Lula, Haddad’s greater willingness to face the challenge of contesting the election became clearer, according to O GLOBO, but a new round of conversations should still take place at the beginning of next week. The new meeting, on Tuesday, should also feature the participation of Alckmin, seen as an important player in defining the political chessboard in the state. The former governor prefers to continue in his position as deputy, but has been the target of pressure on several fronts.

Haddad confirmed the meeting, but said yesterday that there had still been no conversation about a possible candidacy.

— It was published that it happened, but it didn’t happen. We don’t talk about elections in India or Korea — he said in an interview with Flow Podcast, referring to trips with the president and dinner on Thursday.

Alckmin, in turn, commented on the possibility of Haddad running for government during an agenda in São Paulo, but denied that he had been invited to a meeting:

— Haddad is a great candidate for everything. He has public spirit, experience, work capacity.

Haddad’s vote in 2022 is considered successful by PT members, who remember that the party has historical difficulties in the state. Alckmin was governor four times, which is seen as an asset to increase the competitiveness of the candidacy. The president’s expectation is that the vice-president can campaign for Haddad in the interior, especially among agribusiness sectors.

Also a former governor and member of the PSB, minister Márcio França (Entrepreneurship) will take a tour of the interior in the coming days, in an attempt to warm up the left’s platform and stated that Alckmin intends to go to some of the rallies. 40 cities will be visited.

The move occurs at a time when Alckmin’s position is coveted by a wing of the MDB, which is facing an internal split. The president of the party, Baleia Rossi, however, is an ally of Tarcísio and resists the idea that the party will be the vice president.

Among the president’s allies, the forecast is that Haddad’s pre-candidacy for the government will become official next week and that, after the announcement, the PT will begin negotiations to define the vice-president and names for the Senate. The assessment is that composing a ticket with the PT member, Alckmin and ministers Marina Silva (Environment) and Simone Tebet (Planning) could give Tarcísio work. The name of France is also remembered.

— In Haddad’s case, he didn’t even need to consult because everyone was asking him to be a candidate, but for the other candidacies more conversations will be necessary — says federal deputy Rui Falcão (PT-SP).

Dispute on the right

On Flávio’s side, the main doubt lies with Tarcísio’s vice president. The position is contested by parties such as the PL, which is trying to nominate the president of the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo (Alesp), André do Prado (PL), and the PSD, which currently has Felício Ramuth (PSD) as vice president.

After meeting with Tarcísio at a breakfast at Palácio dos Bandeirantes and participating in a tribute at Alesp to the national president of the PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, with the presence of André do Prado, Flávio said that the right-wing ticket will be announced on March 30 and that the name of the vice-president will be decided by the governor. The PL, however, is pushing for the vacancy, to the detriment of the current number 2, who is being investigated for suspicions of money laundering.

— André do Prado is a great leader, the current vice-governor is a great leader, and there are other great professionals here in São Paulo — he said. — It’s a personal issue for him (Tarcísio), which he will compose in a partisan way, as he sees fit.

Valdemar stated after the event that he will insist with the governor that his party takes the second position on the state ticket, even after Tarcísio stated that no party has the right to claim the position: