For the first time, PT may be left without a name in SP.
The party's national president, Rui Falcão, admits it's not "entirely improbable" that the party will forgo fielding its own candidate for governor next year and instead support an ally. One of Lula's strategies is for Congressman Gabriel Chalita or Vice-President Michel Temer, both from the PMDB party, to run against Geraldo Alckmin of the PSDB.
247 – For the first time in history, the PT (Workers' Party) may not be at the top of the ticket in the elections for governor of the State of São Paulo. This possibility was considered by the party's president, Rui Falcão, in a statement to the newspaper. Valor EconômicoHe said it was not "entirely improbable" that the party would not have its own candidate in the race. "It's not impossible to have a candidate from another party," the congressman said.
A strategy, orchestrated by former president Lula, once again involves the PMDB, the main ally of the presidency and the party that currently holds significant influence in the Planalto Palace. Federal deputy Gabriel Chalita or the Vice-President of the Republic, Michel Temer, both members of the PMDB, would run against the reelection of Geraldo Alckmin, with the support of the PT.
Besides being a way to compensate the party for Chalita's support of Fernando Haddad (PT) in the second round of the municipal elections last October, the PT currently finds itself in a scenario where there isn't exactly a strong candidate to compete. Giving up the top spot on the ticket to the PMDB, as already considered by the São Paulo directory Just a few days ago, this would have been a solution to achieve victory.
In the former president's view, if Temer shifts his focus to São Paulo, the vice-presidential slot on President Dilma Rousseff's ticket – or Lula's own ticket – would go to the governor of Pernambuco and president of the PSB party, Eduardo Campos. Within the PT party, the names that would fit the "new" discourse are those of the Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, and the Minister of Finance, Guido Mantega. The current Minister of Education, Aloizio Mercadante, is not "new," but he may have a chance.