"PSB is not positioned to be PT's plan B"

PE247 - Federal deputy and leader of the PSB in the Chamber of Deputies, Beto Albuquerque (PSB-RS), dismisses the possibility that the governor of Pernambuco and potential presidential candidate for the party in 2014, Eduardo Campos, will be the vice-presidential candidate to former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a possible ticket headed by the Workers' Party (PT). "Lula will not be a candidate, and the PSB will have its own candidate for president of the Republic, which will be Eduardo Campos," stated the parliamentarian, who is one of the governor's main interlocutors in the National Congress. According to him, 100% of the PSB supports the party having its own candidate for the presidency in 2014, as the time has come for the PSB to stop being a supporting player and become a protagonist.

The congressman also stated that there is a willingness within the allied base to maintain open dialogue with President Dilma Rousseff (PT), but notes that for this to happen, the government will have to rethink how it relates to allied parties. In an interview with the Poder Online blog, Albuquerque also stated that the PSB may launch candidates for state governorships in six states, in addition to those it already governs.

Check out the interview with the congressman on the Poder Online Blog below:

Poder Online – The government has been having problems with its base this year. How do you think governance will be going forward?
Beto Albuquerque - Any government's allied base, to remain united, needs dialogue, needs to be respected and listened to, and that's not the experience we've had in this government. In 30 months, only two meetings. It's a lack of dialogue that creates friction. Every base needs dialogue. With the demonstrations, there seems to have been a renewed willingness to engage in dialogue.

And what is the willingness to engage in dialogue going forward?
We have no problem with dialogue, as long as it's not about imposing anything. It's not just about saying "amen." We want the right to express our opinions, to criticize. Unfortunately, this willingness to dialogue only emerged during a difficult time for the government.

The governor of Pernambuco, Eduardo Campos, has been out of the spotlight lately; has his drive to run for office waned?
He is the governor, he has responsibilities. The party has been having discussions and today I would say that 100% of the PSB wants to have a candidate for president of the Republic. Someone young, dynamic, a manager already tested with the issues raised by the protesters in the streets, in areas such as Health, Education and Security, which were the major demands of the protests. Of course, Pernambuco doesn't have everything resolved, but it can be compared today with any other state in the country. The PSB is working towards the candidacy. It's not Eduardo who will decide alone. The PSB has been creating the conditions for the candidacy, making alliances in the states, engaging in dialogue.

It has been reported that former President Lula and Eduardo Campos met recently. Is there a rapprochement brewing?
The news that there was a meeting is not true. They spoke on the phone. The PSB has affection for Lula. We were with him through defeats and victories. We learned from him that competing is the way to win. We also want our leading role. It was a conversation between friends. There was never any distancing. Whoever wants to be a protagonist must be respected.

Some say that Eduardo Campos is Lula's dream vice-president. Do you think he would be a good vice-president for Lula?
We in the PSB today have two convictions: Lula will not be a candidate, and the PSB will have its own candidate for president of the Republic, who will be Eduardo Campos. The PSB is not positioned to be the PT's plan B.

How are the discussions going in the states regarding the selection of candidates for next year?
We have time. The election year is 2014. In the states we govern, these conversations go through the governors. The PSB doesn't have this tradition of top-down impositions. Besides the six states we govern today, our goal is to have our own candidate in another six states. In the others, we will work to build and create viable platforms for Eduardo Campos.

What are the other six states where the PSB intends to launch its own candidate?
Minas Gerais, Paraná, Goiás, Acre, Rondônia, and we are evaluating the possibilities in Rio de Janeiro. This is a time for much dialogue.

There was resentment within the PSB (Brazilian Socialist Party) because of the aggressive way the PT (Workers' Party) had been engaging with the party's governors. Has there been any improvement in this situation?
The time when some people thought the game was already won is over. There were people who were already holding the trophy, thinking they had already won. Now we have a new game, a clean slate. It's time to reflect. Arrogance precedes defeat. The game will begin from a different perspective.