And now, Kassab? Will the PSD side with Dilma or Eduardo?

Leonardo Lucena_PE247 – The PSD (Social Democratic Party) of Pernambuco will support Eduardo Campos (PSB) if the governor runs for president in 2014 or 2018. This confirmation came from the state president of the party, André de Paula. This alliance will occur regardless of what happens in the national political scene, where PSD members are expected to support the current president, Dilma Rousseff (PT), who will seek re-election. The leader affirms that several other state PSD directorates will support the socialist governor if he runs, which could cause a split in the party of Gilberto Kassab from São Paulo. "If Eduardo's candidacy materializes, we will be with him. Have no doubt about it. And several other directorates will do the same," he declared.

The statements from the PSD member reinforce Governor Eduardo Campos's capacity for political unification, which is sufficient to attract other political forces at the national level. And, in the case of the PSD, André de Paula explained that the socialist played an important role in helping PSD members create the party in early 2011.

“Many factors make Eduardo a nationally respected name, constantly mentioned by the press in the South, Northeast, and throughout Brazil, as a real alternative for power in 2014. One of the virtues that most contributes to this is an efficient, modern, and competent administration that attracts the attention of the entire country,” added the member of the PSD party. According to him, the governor “is victorious, runs a modern, entrepreneurial government with very positive results, and makes Pernambuco grow at a higher level than the rest of the country.”

The fact is that the national president of the PSD, Gilberto Kassab, former mayor of São Paulo, is initiating a consultation process with the party's state directorates to find out what the position of these forces in their respective states will be regarding support for President Dilma's reelection. Information suggests that, with the ministerial reshuffle to be carried out at the beginning of this year, the party is expected to accept the Secretariat of Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Micro and Small Enterprises, and the vice-presidency of Caixa Econômica Federal (a Brazilian bank).

The party's entry into the allied base makes the PSD an extremely important party for the Dilma government. The party emerged from the last elections occupying fourth place in the ranking of those governing the largest number of Brazilian municipalities, with 497 mayoralties – behind the PMDB (1024), PSDB (702) and PT (635), in addition to holding the third largest bloc in the Federal Chamber.

Although André de Paula acknowledges the importance of this alliance, he defends the "independence" of PSD members in the Federal Government. Despite this, he observes that whatever decision is made, it should not imply internal disagreements, because if the PSD officially supports President Dilma, the state directorates will not be prevented from supporting another candidate in the next presidential elections. "We have the autonomy to choose the path of the PSD in Pernambuco," he stated, indicating a path that other state directorates could follow.

As André de Paula himself implied, it's clear from the political maneuvering that the PSD is divided. One faction supports Eduardo Campos, while the other favors President Dilma's reelection. Regardless of what happens next, PSD members should be careful not to give the impression that they are part of a "rent-a-party" – a party that is merely a tool for political maneuvering. professional status This is mainly attributed to the PMDB.

On the other hand, President Gilberto Kassab intends to launch his own candidates in the 2014 gubernatorial elections in states where the PT will also field candidates, such as São Paulo. It remains to be seen how the PSD will handle the party alliances and how it will manage the fact that some state directorates will support Governor Eduardo Campos, while another faction will support Dilma's reelection and the PT in the next election.