FHC wants to keep Serra in the PSDB. PSB hopes for a split.
Off the record, high-ranking members of the PSB party are hoping that José Serra will leave the PSDB and run for office; "This would split the PSDB once and for all and take votes away from Aécio [Neves], which would beautifully benefit Eduardo [Campos]'s candidacy," a source told PE247; yesterday, former PSDB president Fernando Henrique Cardoso defended Serra's remaining in the party; for FHC, a candidacy by the former governor is difficult both inside and outside the PSDB.
Paulo Emílio _PE247- The impasse created by the former governor of São Paulo, José Serra (PSB), who has not yet decided whether to remain in the PSDB and support the presidential candidacy of the Minas Gerais senator Aécio Neves, or to abandon the ranks of the PSDB and join another party to run for the presidency, has led former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso to advocate that Serra remain within the PSDB. According to FHC, a candidacy by the former governor is difficult both inside and outside the PSDB. The former president also defended, in an interview with Rádio JC News, an alliance between Aécio Neves and the governor of Pernambuco and potential presidential candidate for the PSB, Eduardo Campos. However, off the record, members of the PSB's high command reported that the PSB hopes Serra will leave the PSDB and run for president with another party. "This would split the PSDB once and for all and take votes away from Aécio, which would beautifully benefit Eduardo's candidacy," a source told [the source]. PE247.
"Serra had to focus on the PSDB, remain loyal, and see what chances the party has. Whether it's Senator Aécio Neves, supporting Senator Aécio. Whether it's an alliance with Eduardo (Campos/PSB), supporting the pair," stated FHC. Fernando Henrique also said he doesn't see room for José Serra in any other party besides the PSDB. "José Serra has to be realistic and see what opportunities he has, not only within the PSDB, but outside as well. Leaving the PSDB is a loss for him. And I don't see, realistically, any political space in another party that would allow for a presidential candidacy," analyzed the former president.
Meanwhile, PSB leaders believe that the discord created by Serra within the PSDB is positive for the socialist party's plans. "He possesses electoral capital that cannot be underestimated. He is a strong candidate for anything he runs for. Just look at the 40% of valid votes he received in the last elections. Furthermore, he has very high name recognition due to his past presidential candidacies. The problem is that nobody knows what he will actually do," a source observed. PE247.
According to the PSB member, if Serra runs for President of the Republic, it will directly harm the plans of his fellow party member from Minas Gerais, Aécio Neves. If he chooses to run for governor of São Paulo, he will end up clashing with Geraldo Alckmin, also from the PSDB. In both scenarios, the PSDB will end up damaged and fractured from top to bottom in the country's largest electoral districts.
“He would have to look for another party to make a presidential candidacy viable, which is what he really wants. And if that happens, it will be good for the PSB, because it splits the PSDB and Aécio's candidacy, reducing the chances of the senator from Minas Gerais going to the second round. In this case, he also wouldn't compete with us, since he is right-wing and will have to spend a lot of time explaining the reason for the change and why he broke with the PSDB,” assessed the PSB interlocutor.