Split, PT will give Wagner a headache until 2014
An article by journalist Fernando Duarte, published in Tribuna da Bahia, details the fracture within the Workers' Party (PT) in Bahia; "Even members of the Workers' Party themselves describe the party as a patchwork quilt. The party chose a strategy of creating internal factions full of idiosyncrasies, with repercussions at the national and regional levels, instead of forming new parties."
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It may even come to nothing, as happened last October with Nelson Pelegrino's sole candidacy for mayor of Salvador within the government's base, but, for now, the scenario for the 2014 election points to serious headaches for Governor Jaques Wagner in his attempt to elect his successor.
Among those considered 'strong', there are already three potential pre-candidates within the PT alone. The Chief of Staff, Rui Costa; the Secretary of Planning, José Sérgio Gabrielli; and Senator Walter Pinheiro are the so-called 'strong names'.
And, to further complicate matters, the former mayor of Camaçari, Luiz Caetano, whose name had already been dismissed (albeit implicitly) by the governor himself, said yesterday that he is in the running and that he has the means to make his candidacy viable.
An article by journalist Fernando Duarte, published in Tribuna da Bahia, details the map of the split within the PT party in Bahia.
"Even members of the Workers' Party themselves describe the party as a patchwork quilt. The party chose a strategy of creating internal trends full of idiosyncrasies and with repercussions at the national and regional levels, instead of forming new parties – not that this is impossible," says the Tribuna publication.
According to Duarte, on Gabrielli's side, the former all-powerful president of Petrobras, from the Construindo um Novo Brasil (CNB) trend, names are beginning to emerge, such as state deputy Rosemberg Pinto and former federal deputy Emiliano José.
The journalist believes that the dispute (also in a war-like atmosphere) for the presidency of the party in Bahia in November of this year will serve, until then, as a barometer of internal discussions for the desired consensus choice of the candidate to succeed Jaques Wagner.
In the race for the regional presidency, within the CNB's sphere of influence, are Nelson Pelegrino – who in Bahia belongs to the Democratic and Popular Left – and also the current general secretary of the PT, Everaldo Anunciação.
The latter, despite being affiliated with the CNB and strongly involved behind the scenes, faces difficulties within the group itself and, according to sources cited in the report, "cannot emerge as a consensus candidate within the faction itself."
Of these, Emiliano José could be elevated to the position of national secretary of communication for the PT (Workers' Party) and be out of the running.
Senator Walter Pinheiro, of the Democratic Socialism (DS) party, is another who is trying to position himself for the 2014 candidacy. Even without yet presenting any name as a candidate for the state leadership of the PT, the DS is seeking to find a member to run against the candidate indicated by the majority group, which supports Gabrielli.
Another who doesn't yet have a name in the running and is a pre-candidate to succeed Wagner is Rui Costa; however, like Pinheiro, he is looking for someone linked to the regional Reencantar trend.
Also in the running are former PT president in Bahia, Marcelino Galo, who is trying to return to the position, and federal deputy Luiz Alberto, who has local leanings and no national representation; the former is from the PT Movement in Bahia and the latter from the July 2nd Collective.
Even with six names put forward, the natural course of events is that only two will last until the election. Until November, the power struggle will be more than intense.