Armando: 'PSB abandoned Dilma and turned its back on Lula'

Pernambuco 247 - The internal unity that was apparently achieved in the Pernambuco PT, after the agreement that avoided a second round in the Direct Elections Process (PED) for the selection of the state leadership of the party, caused the PTB, of Senator and pre-candidate for Governor of the State, Armando Monteiro Neto, to raise its tone against the administration of the governor and potential presidential candidate, Eduardo Campos (PSB). According to Armando, the PSB was responsible for "abandoning ship" from President Dilma Rousseff's (PT) government and for "turning its back on President Lula." The senator also said that Campos was responsible for breaking the unity of the Popular Front, a coalition of parties that provide the basis for the PSB government's support in Pernambuco, and that Lula had told him in advance that he would engage in the Pernambuco campaign.

According to the parliamentarian, since the legislation allows for reelection, the PSB's departure from the government's base would be a kind of abandonment of the alliance that the socialist party maintained with the PT. “We understand that, since we were part of the president's support base, and since she has the right, guaranteed by law, to run for reelection, it would not be appropriate, in my view, for us to jump ship halfway through, abandon President Dilma, turn our backs on President Lula, who has done so much for Pernambuco. From there, we will take different paths,” declared Armando, according to the Jornal do Commercio.

With the PTB aligned nationally with President Dilma's reelection project and the PT weakened in Pernambuco due to the discord that has permeated the party since the last municipal elections – something that was apparently resolved only last week, after an agreement between the various internal factions of the party where it is foreseen that the state leadership will be exercised and the command divided between the two tendencies that would compete in the second round – the senator's name has become increasingly strong to head a majoritarian ticket with the support of the PT.

In this regard, Armando has maintained frequent contact with the national leadership of the PT, including former president Lula, whom he met in October in São Paulo. “I was with President Lula two weeks ago and he told me that he will be engaged in the campaign in Pernambuco. He will be in the state asking for the people's support to guarantee President Dilma's re-election. And I am certain that we will have a very strong platform in Pernambuco,” he assured.

Behind the scenes in politics, it's rumored that if the PT (Workers' Party) were to force its hand and field its own candidate for Governor, the tendency would be for the party to support the PTB (Brazilian Labour Party) candidate in a potential second round. If the party believes it cannot field a candidate competitive enough to challenge a candidate nominated by Campos, the chances of an alliance with the PTB at the state level, even in the first round, are quite high. In this case, the PT could be rewarded with the vice-governorship on the ticket headed by Armando Monteiro.

Armando observes that the PTB's departure from the Popular Front was not a movement that originated from the labor party. "What happened is that the PSB, which is Governor Eduardo Campos' party and therefore led our alliance here, decided it should launch a presidential candidacy, which I consider a legitimate project. Therefore, the responsibility for the dissolution of the Popular Front is not ours, it's the PSB's," the senator stated in an interview with regional radio stations.