Meetings with Lula and Dilma to define the future.
Despite the election campaign already underway, the mayor of Recife, João da Costa (PT), continues to postpone announcing his stance in the election: whether he will support Humberto Costa (PT) or Geraldo Júlio (PSB); sidelined from the succession, he still shows resentment towards his party colleague.
PE247 – Having been sidelined from the Recife mayoral race by the national leadership of the PT party, Mayor João da Costa continues to delay as much as possible the moment of announcing which position he will take in the current election. The mayor, who according to behind-the-scenes information is inclined to support the candidacy of Geraldo Júlio (PSB), has not yet completely ruled out the possibility of joining Senator Humberto Costa's (PT) campaign.
And, to make him follow this path, the Workers' Party mayoral candidate himself is arranging meetings between the head of the municipal executive branch and President Dilma Rousseff and former President Lula. An attempt to pressure him to join forces for the party's continued control of the City Hall.
With a trip scheduled to London, England, in the coming days, João da Costa may meet with President Dilma during a Brazilian event in the UK. Some of Humberto Costa's allies hope that, on that occasion, the Workers' Party member will convince her colleague to join the senator on the campaign stage.
Even though it's a remote possibility, since he sees his own party colleague as largely responsible for the failure of his project, João da Costa knows he could face punishment from the party if he formally aligns himself with the candidacy of an opponent. Such a move usually leads to expulsion from the PT (Workers' Party).
However, the fact that federal deputy João Paulo – his predecessor and great rival – is the vice-presidential candidate on Humberto's ticket makes it even more difficult for João da Costa to get closer to the senator's campaign. People close to the mayor also disagree with a rapprochement, even an electoral one, between the two. They say that the former mayor did everything to hinder the current administration and that he should not receive any support now.
Amidst this latest internal complication, there's still talk that Governor Eduardo Campos (PSB) guaranteed João da Costa the "transfer" of electoral bases from his mother, former congresswoman and TCU minister Ana Arraes. This would practically guarantee the mayor's election to the Federal Chamber in 2014. So far, everything is just speculation. While he hasn't defined his position, Costa is steering the ship at the Recife City Hall towards the end of his term in December.