Gabrielli is increasingly becoming a candidate.
President of Petrobras prepares candidacy for governor of Bahia in 2014.
The president of Petrobras, José Sérgio Gabrielli, has been participating in meetings with politicians in Bahia over the past two months, attending civic ceremonies and inaugurations, and attending festivals in the interior of the state. Leaders of the PT (Workers' Party) in Bahia advocate for him to be the candidate to succeed Governor Jaques Wagner in 2014.
The São João festival, a traditional mid-year celebration throughout Brazil, was sponsored by Petrobras in 169 municipalities in the Northeast – 142 of them in Bahia alone. The financial aid in six Northeastern states (Bahia, Pernambuco, Sergipe, Alagoas, Ceará, Paraíba, and Rio Grande do Norte) totaled R$ 10,6 million, of which R$ 8,5 million went to Bahia.
During the Corpus Christi holiday from June 23rd to 26th, Gabrielli attended the June festivals in the cities of Cruz das Almas, Santo Antônio de Jesus, Ibicuí, Itororó, and Itapetinga. On the evening of the 23rd, he dined at the D'Guste restaurant in Santo Antônio de Jesus (Recôncavo Baiano) with Mayor Euvaldo Rosa (DEM) and council members.
That same night, he went to Cruz das Almas, also in the Recôncavo region. He arrived in the early hours of the 24th. He was received by Mayor Orlandinho (PT). In interviews, reproduced on websites and newspapers in the region, he justified his visit: “I am here as president of Petrobras, which sponsors the São João festivities in 130 cities.”
During the day, he traveled to southern Bahia. He was in Itororó accompanied by deputies Geraldo Simões (federal) and Rosemberg Pinto (state), both members of the Workers' Party (PT). They were received with a barbecue by Mayor Adroaldo Almeida (PT). Also on Friday, he visited Itapetinga and had lunch with Mayor José Carlos Moura (PT). He also went to Ibicuí, where Mayor Cláudio Dourado (PTB) took him to a meeting with 15 mayors, councilors, and political leaders.
Gabrielli declined to be interviewed about his recent trips to Bahia, the state-owned company's support for festivals in the state, and the possibility of him becoming the Workers' Party candidate for governor in 2014. Petrobras detailed the sponsorships and sought to justify them. "Petrobras has sponsored the June festivities in the Northeast since 2005. In 2011, the company sponsored the São João festivities in 169 municipalities in the Northeast, totaling an investment of R$ 10,6 million. Seven states benefited: Bahia, Alagoas, Ceará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, and Sergipe."