With protests and cartel activity, Alckmin fears 2014.
The governor of São Paulo, a prime target of protests concerning the precarious state of public transportation and the Siemens cartel scandal in the São Paulo subway system, still doesn't know how to explain his government's involvement in the German multinational's allegations; Geraldo Alckmin, a member of the PSDB party, met last night with his government's political core to assess the damage the crisis has caused to his 2014 reelection campaign; surveys will be conducted in various regions to determine the extent of the negative impact of the protests; a massive protest against corruption in transportation is scheduled for the 14th.
SP247 – Geraldo Alckmin (PSDB), the first governor to be targeted by the popular demonstrations in June, has reason to fear the political scenario of 2014. The politician was initially criticized for the price of public transportation fares, and subsequently for the violent approach of the Military Police in the state. Alckmin, who has already experienced the worst moments related to protests, is now in the midst of a scandal involving the first term of his government – the formation of a cartel in bidding processes for the Metro and CPTM (São Paulo Metropolitan Train Company), whose central figure is the multinational Siemens, which is denouncing the scheme.
On the evening of Sunday the 4th, the governor met with the so-called political core of his government at the Palácio dos Bandeirantes to assess the electoral scenario for next year. The government commissioned surveys, to be carried out in different regions of the state, to determine exactly what damage was done as a result of the demonstrations. The objective is to quantify the losses against Alckmin's image and how this may be reflected in 2014.
The Free Fare Movement, which initiated the protests, is planning a large demonstration for the 14th, this time against the so-called "Tucano kickback scheme" in São Paulo's transportation system, an act that is causing great concern for Alckmin. The activists' argument is that, without the irregularities in the Metro construction, public transportation fares would be much cheaper in São Paulo. Yesterday, a group of about 20 protesters remained camped out, since Saturday morning, in front of the government headquarters, where the governor lives, demanding, among other things, a Parliamentary Inquiry Commission in the Legislative Assembly to investigate the scheme.
Government reaction
This weekend, Alckmin decided to move from a defensive stance to try and shield his government on the eve of his reelection campaign. Like his Chief of Staff, Edson Aparecido, did last Friday, the governor blamed CADE, the market competition regulator, which, according to him, was not providing access to documents about the case and was promoting a "underhanded leak of information." "The leak is causing harm to people and even disgracing a man of honor like Mário Covas," he said.
The problem (for Alckmin) is that the accusation doesn't come from CADE (Brazil's antitrust agency), but from Siemens, a company that claims to be part of the scheme and has already revealed that it had knowledge of the scheme by PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) governments in the state, which allegedly even gave its approval for its implementation. The German multinational's accusation also includes the payment of bribes to PSDB politicians. Even if Alckmin manages to prove that he didn't know about the scheme, he will therefore have to work hard to rebuild his image, which is already tied to the case.