Rogério: "No request from Déda will make me give up my candidacy"
Federal deputy, interim president of the PT (Workers' Party) and candidate for the party's presidency for the 2013-2017 period, Rogério Carvalho reinforces his willingness to remain in the race, "in the name of the collective that made him a candidate"; "I wanted to reassure the militants and all those who made me a candidate and who allowed us to register a slate that there is no possibility of us giving up the candidacy, unless it is a collective understanding," he stressed; Rogério also said that he feels disrespected within the PT for not being considered by "some leaders" as an option for maintaining internal unity.
247 - Federal deputy Rogério Carvalho (PT) reaffirmed this Friday (16) that he maintains his candidacy for state president of the party, even with the appeal from Governor Marcelo Déda for him to leave the race. “There is no request from Marcelo Déda, Silvio Santos, Zé Eduardo, from anyone, that will make me give up this candidacy. Only the collective that made me a candidate can take away this candidacy from me,” he warned, in an interview with Jornal da Manhã, on Jovem Pan FM.
According to the congressman, he currently has the support of five mayors (out of the seven affiliated with the PT in the state), state representatives Francisco Gualberto and João Daniel, city councilors Emmanuel Nascimento and Emerson Ferreira, other party leaders, and up to 50% of the majority faction, Construindo um Novo Brasil (CNB). “I wanted to reassure the activists and all those who made me a candidate and allowed us to register a ticket that there is no possibility of us withdrawing the candidacy, unless it is a collective agreement. I can no longer say whether I am a candidate or not. The decision now rests with the collective,” he emphasized.
Rogério said he doesn't understand the apprehension some people have regarding his leadership. "Is it because I have autonomy? Is it because I'm able to build, change, transform, and expand participation in the spaces I occupy? We need to be very calm and cautious so as not to cause division, but I would also like to understand why this fear is so great. It's not from the party base," he stated.
The congressman, who is the acting president of the party, stressed that he finds the way he has been treated by "some leaders" in this episode of the PT succession "disrespectful." "Disrespect is the lack of consideration, it's not considering how the militant, the member, has historically behaved. In my case, I supported Márcio Macêdo in both elections, I supported Silvio Santos. I have always not only supported but also participated in and helped the electoral processes, being aware that it was the right moment for those people. I see that this difficulty these people have in seeing me in this trajectory ends up being a disrespectful action," he complained.
He further stated that he does not see Déda's position as a betrayal and stressed that he hopes his willingness to remain a candidate "does not produce hurt feelings or resentment" among the party leaders. "Let this be seen as normal. I believe I have legitimacy, political experience, and dedication, and I have demonstrated commitment to my party to be able to run for president in a climate of peace and tranquility. The fact that I have the support of the leaders I have shows that I am not being segregated. What I am only asking for is the possibility of running for election, a clean and peaceful election, where we can decide by vote who will preside. I have no problem running for election with the risk of losing or the luck of winning. That's part of the game," he reinforced.