"Why not be with Jackson in 2014?", says Almeida Lima.
The new president of the PTB in Sergipe, federal deputy Almeida Lima, previously affiliated with the PPS, stated that the national leadership's directive is to align the party with the State Government; the party was previously led in Sergipe by Edivan Amorim and was part of the opposition; "We will establish procedures in accordance with the guidelines of the National Directorate. There is a concern within the party to establish a restructuring aimed at the 2014 elections. In Sergipe, the national leadership was aware of the PTB's flirtations with Aécio's PSDB and Eduardo Campos' PSB. And these are possible opposing candidacies to the current government," he emphasized; he denied that the PTB's takeover was motivated by any feeling of revenge for Edivan Amorim not supporting him in 2012 when he ran for mayor.
Sergipe 247 – The new president of the PTB in Sergipe, federal deputy Almeida Lima (elected by the PMDB in 2010, but affiliated with the PPS since 2011), stated, in an interview with radio host George Magalhães, on Megga FM, that he will work to ensure that the party becomes part of the support base for the State Government. The party was led in Sergipe by Edivan Amorim and was part of the opposition. Almeida joined the PTB last Tuesday (25), in Brasília.
“We will establish procedures in accordance with the guidelines of the National Directorate. The party is concerned with establishing a restructuring aimed at the 2014 elections. The objective is to place the party in Sergipe in the same national alignment, which is in the base of support for the Federal Government. In the State, it is the PT and the PMDB that represent the Federal Government. Not being with the Government was bothering the PTB. In Sergipe, the national leadership was aware of the PTB's flirtations with Aécio's PSDB and Eduardo Campos' PSB. And these are possible opposing candidacies to the current government,” he emphasized.
Almeida Lima said he is open to conversation and dialogue with the acting governor Jackson Barreto (PMDB). “Dialogue is natural in the political class. We want to contribute and define what space the PTB can occupy in this new political landscape. At this moment, the PTB is moving away from an opposition political orientation and is open to an alliance with Jackson. Why not be with Jackson in 2014? Everything points to that happening. The PTB arrives in Sergipe with this orientation. Political alignment is natural,” he said.
The congressman denied that the PTB's takeover of power stemmed from any feeling of revenge because Edivan Amorim did not support him in 2012 when he ran for mayor of Aracaju. "I don't do politics out of revenge. There's no taste of revenge," he said. Almeida also said he might run for re-election as a federal congressman (he had already announced earlier in the year that he would likely run for state representative in 20140). "Now the situation changes. My candidacy for federal representative is something to analyze," he emphasized.