Mercadante reiterates in letter: he will not be a candidate.

SP247 - The Minister of Education, Aloizio Mercadante, does not seem willing to leave any doubt about his intentions to remain in Brasília. Hours after former President Lula said that he does not think "the withdrawal of Mercadante's name from the 2014 São Paulo gubernatorial race is definitive" (read moreThe minister himself reaffirmed what he had already said, this time in a letter to the PT (Workers' Party).

The letter was sent to the party leadership on the 26th, when the minister announced in an interview his decision to remain collaborating with the federal government (rememberSpeaking to allies, the minister said he maintains his decision even after Lula's statement. "I make this decision with the conviction that it is important to remove Education from the political stage and to continue with a constructive partnership with states and municipalities," the minister explained.

Read the full letter:

"To my comrades,

I am forwarding to the Workers' Party the official statement that I am not a pre-candidate for governor of the State of São Paulo, a decision that has been carefully considered over the past period and announced today, April 26th.

I remain at the head of the Ministry of Education, serving with great honor the government of President Dilma Rousseff, who has supported the area at all times and trusted in my work. Improving the quality of education is strategic for us to continue on the path of sustainable development that we need to follow.

I am making this decision with the conviction that it is important to remove Education from the political stage and to continue with a constructive partnership with states and municipalities. Actions are fundamental to confirming our words: and both I and President Dilma have reaffirmed that Education is strategic for the development of Brazil.

Today's act reaffirms this conviction. By working for the education of all Brazilians, I am working decisively for the State of São Paulo.

In closing, I thank the activists of the Workers' Party, who have greatly honored me with candidacies for federal deputy, senator, and twice for governor of the state. I will be, as I always have been, alongside the candidate that the PT chooses to represent our project.

I reach 40 years of political activism and 33 years with the Workers' Party feeling fulfilled, but at the same time knowing that we need to move forward with the project I helped build, which for ten years has been transforming Brazil, bringing more opportunities to all Brazilians. We need to continue on this path. A good fight to all.

Aloizio Mercadante