Pimentel receives support from members of the PSDB base.

Setting the agenda for Minas Gerais - During a visit this Saturday, the 16th, to the city of Visconde do Rio Branco, in the Zona da Mata region, gubernatorial candidate Fernando Pimentel (PT) received the support of mayors, councilors, and grassroots leaders from the DEM, PTB, PP, and PDT parties, which are part of the base of the PSDB candidate for the Tiradentes Palace, Pimenta da Veiga. On the occasion, members of the PSB also pledged their support for Pimentel's election campaign.

The support was formalized during a lunch in a city in the Zona da Mata region. Beforehand, the candidate from the Minas Pra Você coalition walked through Praça 28 de Setembro accompanied by more than 40 mayors, deputies, and candidates from the region. Pimentel highlighted the importance of receiving support from parties that are officially backing the PSDB candidate.

"In politics, what matters are commitments. I am happy to receive support from other parties that are not formally in our campaign, but that have the same commitment as us: to work to improve the Zona da Mata region, Visconde do Rio Branco, Minas Gerais. In short, to improve the lives of the people of Minas Gerais," he declared.

The mayor of Guiricema, Antônio Vaz de Melo, from the DEM party, officially announced his support for Fernando Pimentel during lunch. "We are supporting Pimentel because the assessment is that the Minas Gerais government has done nothing for the cities. Everything is lacking in the municipalities," he stated.

According to Vaz de Melo, the state government does not transfer funds to the municipalities, leaving the burden of meeting the population's demands in areas over which they have no legal authority to the mayors. "The government is closing police stations (of the Civil Police) and we have to put municipal money into activities that are the responsibility of the State, such as Health and Education," declared the mayor.

Discrimination

The anti-republican behavior of the PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) administrations in discriminating against mayors from opposition parties in the allocation of public funds was also highlighted during the meeting with Pimentel. "Minas Gerais needs change. The state must be equal for everyone, just as Dilma (President Dilma Rousseff) does with all cities. Here everything is blocked because the mayor is from the PT (Workers' Party)," stated councilman Rober Lima (DEM), referring to the difficulties faced by the mayor of Visconde do Rio Branco, Iran Silva Couri (PT), in receiving funds from the Minas Gerais government.

Leaders of the PSB party in the city of Coimbra also came to show their support for Fernando Pimentel. "There, in Coimbra, everything is lacking. There's a lack of education, security. That's why I'm here with Pimentel," stated councilman Jorge Andrade (PSB).

Zuma Dinis Pereira, a city councilor from Ervália representing the PTB party, stated that his party was harmed and that his municipality also faces serious difficulties due to the lack of investment from the Minas Gerais state government. In total, 18 leaders of the governing coalition in the state participated in events for the candidate from the "Minas Pra Você" coalition in Visconde do Rio Branco.

In these meetings, Pimentel highlighted the need for the Zona da Mata region to resume development and attract investment again. In recent years, the region has lost several companies to neighboring states due to the high ICMS tax rates levied by the state government.

"For the past 12 years in Minas Gerais, the Zona da Mata region has been forgotten and abandoned. It's a region with enormous tourism and business potential. All of this needs to be leveraged. We will be the government that works with a regional focus and is open to the participation of everyone, of each and every citizen," he declared.

Alongside the former mayor of Belo Horizonte, the candidate for vice-governor Antônio Andrade (PMDB) also reinforced the importance of resuming investments in the region and reassessing tax legislation so that the Zona da Mata can grow again.
"The Zona da Mata region is paying a high price for the poor administration of the Minas Gerais government. Not only in development, but also in education. Our children deserve a quality education, our teachers deserve a decent salary. Healthcare costs are not being met," declared Andrade. "Number 13 is now the number of the PMDB party and it will change the history of this state," he added.