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Joshua declines invitation to assume Ministry.

Businessman Josué Gomes da Silva, son of former Vice-President José Alencar, says he is honored by President Dilma Rousseff's remembrance and generosity, but believes he will be more useful working for her re-election in Minas Gerais; he signals his intention to run for the Senate. 

Businessman Josué Gomes da Silva, son of former Vice President José Alencar, says he is honored by President Dilma Rousseff's remembrance and generosity, but believes he will be more useful working for her reelection in Minas Gerais; he signals his intention to run for the Senate (Photo: Roberta Namour)

247 - Considered by President Dilma Rousseff to assume the Ministry of Development, businessman Josué Gomes da Silva, son of former Vice-President of the Republic José Alencar, told the Blog of Gerson Camarotti who declined the invitation to join the top tier of government. According to him, he will be more helpful to Dilma by working on her reelection campaign in Minas Gerais.

“I am honored by the mention of my name and by President Dilma’s generosity, but I think that, at this moment, I am more helpful in Minas Gerais. In 2010, we won the election in Minas Gerais by a good margin, so it is essential that Dilma and Temer have at least the same vote count as in the last election. And this time, it will not be easy, because Senator Aécio Neves is expected to be a presidential candidate and he is well-regarded in Minas Gerais,” he explained.

Josué says he has left his political future in the hands of the PMDB, the party he recently joined. “I still don’t know if I will be a candidate. I can help in Minas Gerais, not necessarily with a candidacy. I have never sought one, but it could happen. If my party believes I can be useful as a Senate candidate, I can help in that way, since my father [José Alencar] was a Senator of the Republic with great honor,” he said.

However, the political protégé of former President Lula has shown interest in running for a Senate seat against the current governor, Anastasia (PSDB).