PDT wants to join Marina Silva: ‘It would be very welcome’, says president of the party

The Democratic Labor Party (PDT) wants to join the Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, who must leave the Sustainability Network after structural changes in the party make, in the assessment of allies, her departure “inevitable”. The president of the PDT, Carlos Lupi, states behind the scenes that the environmentalist “would be very welcome”, but there are no negotiations on the possible transfer so far. With an undefined political future, the minister has been approached by the PT, PSB, PV and PSOL.

— A member like Marina Silva would add a lot to the party. There is a desire to join it, it would be a strong name — says a national PDT leader heard by the report.

Lupi was part of the Esplanada dos Ministérios next to the Marina until May of last year. The former Minister of Social Security resigned from his position in May, nine days after an operation by the Federal Police (PF) and the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) revealed a billion-dollar scheme of embezzlement of INSS retirements and pensions.

The leader of the PDT in the Chamber, Mário Heringer (MG), states that the party’s desire for Marina’s affiliation stems from the minister’s work in the environmental area:

— We have been talking at the party. We are watching her difficulties on the Internet. We would all welcome her with an open door. The Marina is a reference in the defense of the environment in Brazil and around the world — says the parliamentarian.

Elected federal deputy in 2022, Marina rules out running for a seat in the Chamber in this year’s election. The environmentalist only admits the possibility of running for a seat in the Senate in São Paulo, a scenario that would depend on the path chosen by the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad. The report found that it is “unlikely” that the minister will go to the polls if Haddad is a candidate for the Legislature.

Haddad’s plan is to collaborate with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s re-election campaign. But the Chief Executive himself has already publicly stated that he would like the Finance Minister to be a candidate in São Paulo. The PT is pushing for him to run for state government or a seat in the Senate.

A definition of the minister’s political direction in the election has not yet been made, according to interlocutors interviewed by GLOBO. Marina maintains a close relationship with Haddad in the government, with the economic department leading ecological transition projects.

If she wishes to be a candidate, Marina must leave the Lula government portfolio by April. The tendency is for number two, the executive secretary, João Paulo Capobianco, to assume the position in the ministry, but a decision has not yet been discussed with the president.

Marina tells allies that a possible candidacy would only exist if it met three requirements: support for Lula’s re-election, collective construction and strengthening of a broad front, especially in São Paulo, and the promotion of the green agenda. According to interlocutors, the definition of a candidacy for the Senate also “undergoes a partisan redefinition”.