According to Viana, Campos and Aécio have already "thrown in the towel".
Senator Jorge Viana (PT-AC), from the Workers' Party, believes that the joint defense of ending reelection in exchange for a five-year term, by the governor of Pernambuco, Eduardo Campos (PSB), and Senator Aécio Neves (PSDB), is an acknowledgment that neither of them has a chance of defeating President Dilma in 2014, when she is expected to run for reelection; according to the PT member, the two have already "thrown in the towel" regarding 2014 and are now aiming for the 2018 presidential election.
PE247 - Senator Jorge Viana (PT-AC) did not hold back in his criticism of the governor of Pernambuco, Eduardo Campos (PSB), and Senator Aécio Neves (PSDB-MG), stating that both have already "thrown in the towel" regarding the 2014 elections and are now aiming for the 2018 presidential election. Viana's statement was directed at the joint defense made by Campos and Aécio regarding the end of reelection in exchange for a five-year term. According to the senator, this attitude shows that both recognize they have a chance of defeating President Dilma Rousseff next year, when she is expected to run for reelection.
"Today, I see the presidential candidate, my colleague Aécio Neves, the would-be presidential candidate Eduardo Campos, governor of Pernambuco, president of the PSB, saying that they want an end to reelection. They don't understand each other. Perhaps they are aiming for 2018, they are already throwing in the towel on 2014," said Viana from the Senate rostrum. The PT member also accused the PSDB of being inconsistent for criticizing the bill that makes it more difficult to create new political parties.
As an example of this alleged inconsistency on the part of the PSDB party, Viana said that in 1993, then-congressman José Serra (PSDB-SP) presented a bill that altered electoral legislation with the aim of harming Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's candidacy. The bill, which prohibited the use of external images in party propaganda, approved precisely when Lula was touring the country with his Caravans of Citizenship, was cited by the senator as one of the factors responsible for preventing the PT candidate's victory in that election.
Viana also criticized the PSDB, stating that both the creation of the Real Plan and the approval of the reelection measure – which benefited then-President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (PSDB) – occurred close to election periods, with the intention of harming the PT and Lula's candidacy. "At the time, this wasn't considered opportunism because it was against the PT. Now, it's the PT that's trying to exploit opportunism by criticizing the project that limits new parties," Viana declared.