The Recife election becomes a priority for the PT (Workers' Party).

Gilberto Prazeres _PE247 – The national leadership of the Workers' Party (PT) is treating the succession in Recife as its top priority. Although, initially, the election of former minister Fernando Haddad in São Paulo was vital for the party, given that it is the country's main city, it is precisely in the capital of Pernambuco that the greatest efforts will now be focused. This movement is due to the need, identified by the party leaders, to put a brake on the national project of the governor of Pernambuco and national president of the PSB, Eduardo Campos.

The Workers' Party (PT) members understand that, even if the Socialists win in Belo Horizonte and Fortaleza, but fail to win the Recife mayoral election, the final result would already be considered a victory, since the PT would be defeating Governor Eduardo Campos and his entire coalition of parties in their "own house." A stain that could tarnish the PSB's presidential project.

It's no coincidence that former minister José Dirceu is, according to behind-the-scenes information, setting up a political office in Recife. The Workers' Party leader not only wants to support the candidacy of Senator Humberto Costa (PT), but also guide it and, above all, supply it with information and the necessary structure to defeat the socialist candidate, former state secretary Geraldo Júlio.

Last week, PT members in Recife managed to veto the possibility of the socialists using images of former president Lula and president Dilma Rousseff in their campaign materials and in the electoral radio and television program. On the night of last Tuesday (3), a large part of the members of the PT's National Executive Committee already positioned themselves in favor of the official break with the PSB, placing the party in the opposition field also to the Dilma Government.

With the PSB, in fact, as the opposition, the PT hopes to deconstruct the socialists' discourse that the differences between the two parties are specific and regional, and that both are part of a larger, national project. This point has been frequently raised by the party's candidates. This battle is far from over.  

PSDB

The shift in focus could also be explained by the fact that the PSDB in São Paulo does not currently represent the PT's opponent in 2014. The PSDB is considering the possibility of running for President with Senator Aécio Neves from Minas Gerais, who is occasionally linked to Governor Eduardo Campos as a likely running mate.