Network: Eduardo Campos celebrates. But was it worth it?
A year after the creation of Rede Sustentabilidade, a party founded by Marina Silva but which failed to register to participate in the elections, the governor of Pernambuco celebrates the alliance on his Facebook page; despite having secured an important partnership, Campos has not received a transfer of votes from Marina – according to polls – has not yet received an official response regarding her being his running mate in the presidential election, and has faced problems in important states due to disagreements with the party, such as in São Paulo, where the former minister withdrew her support for Geraldo Alckmin.
247 - On the day marking the one-year anniversary of the founding of Rede Sustentabilidade, the party created by former senator Marina Silva, the governor of Pernambuco and presidential candidate for the PSB, Eduardo Campos, celebrates the PSB-Rede partnership on his Facebook page, an alliance that, according to him, "has become a protagonist in the moment Brazil is experiencing." However, since they joined forces in early October, the relationship has been marked by a series of problems.
In the celebratory text, Campos emphasizes that "this alliance has been gaining increasing repercussion" and cites the project as the one "Marina and I are building." However, the praise for the union is not entirely reciprocal. In her statements and on social media, Marina is more discreet in praising the partnership and even today publishes guidance texts on how to join Rede, demonstrating that joining the PSB, after her party failed to obtain registration with the TSE (Superior Electoral Court), has a deadline.
Behaviors aside, in practice, problems have been frequent, especially regarding state alliances. The first warning sign, shortly after the duo officially joined forces, was Marina's strong opinion about the rural landowners and Congressman Ronaldo Caiado (DEM-GO), who had already guaranteed his support for Campos. From then on, it was necessary to develop a strategy to win back those who had already been won over.
Despite the national project, the parties admit to disagreements regarding their political platforms in at least seven states, including the country's main electoral districts: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais. In the first, the former minister vetoed support for Governor Geraldo Alckmin of the PSDB, imposing her own candidacy project. Apparently, she won, but if the candidacy of Congressman Márcio França (PSB-SP) succeeds, the candidate who most strongly defended the alliance with the Palácio dos Bandeirantes (São Paulo state government) will be launched.
In Minas Gerais, Marina Silva's group also advocates breaking with the PSDB government and fielding its own candidate in the state, where the PSB is part of the government and would likely support the party's nominated candidate, Pimenta da Veiga. In Rio de Janeiro, the possible candidate is Congressman Miro Teixeira, running on the Pros ticket, but an – already expected – interest in running from Congressman Romário (PSB) could trigger an internal dispute. There are also disagreements between the parties in Paraná, Maranhão, and the Federal District.
The truth is that Campos' ally is trying to push the Rede party's interests within a party that already had alliances in place for the elections. More than that, she's suggesting names that aren't necessarily competitive, to the detriment of candidates with potential. As if that weren't enough, the Rede leader didn't transfer votes to the PSB president. Polls conducted last year indicated that vote transfer isn't automatic in a scenario with Marina as Campos' running mate, and that part of the former minister's electorate wouldn't want to vote for Eduardo Campos.
So, is there reason to celebrate?