With Mario Frias and Ricardo Salles being considered for cabinet positions, Tarcísio could have a Bolsonaro-style mini-government in São Paulo.
The idea of the future governor would be to reinstate in politics some Bolsonaro supporters who failed at the polls.
Igor Carvalho, Brazil of Fact São Paulo | SP - Still overshadowed by public interest and expectations regarding Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's (PT) third term as President of the Republic, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos), the governor-elect of São Paulo, is already working on assembling his cabinet for 2023.
Among the names that appear on the lists of possible secretaries are Mário Frias and Ricardo Salles, who were elected federal deputies in São Paulo by the PL party, and who could head the state's Culture and Environment secretariats, portfolios they led in the federal government during Jair Bolsonaro's (PL) administration.
According to CNNThe move of the duo to the Palácio dos Bandeirantes could help to reinstate in politics some Bolsonaro supporters who failed at the polls, such as federal deputy Coronel Tadeu (PL-SP), who failed to be re-elected and holds the first alternate position in his party.
If the names of Frias and Salles are confirmed, Freitas, who was the Minister of Infrastructure in the current government and who always tried to present himself as a technical figure, attempting to distance himself from the ideological and strident line of Bolsonarism, will begin his term transforming São Paulo into a mini-government of Bolsonaro.
Fernando Prioste, a popular lawyer at the Socio-Environmental Institute, states that, from a political standpoint, Ricardo Salles' nomination was already predictable among environmentalists, since "he is one of the people who represents this far-right political group, linked to Bolsonaro, which emerged victorious in São Paulo. The potential nomination will be a disaster, as he has no commitment to environmental issues."
Based on reflections on Salles' management at the Ministry of the Environment, Prioste points out possible paths the ministry could take in the state.
“I believe we can expect a process of deregulation of environmental issues, especially environmental licensing. I also foresee difficulties for traditional peoples and communities in advancing respect for human rights, and furthermore, difficulties in dealing with participatory councils, because Salles has already shown himself to be rather unfriendly to public policies with civil society participation.”
Frias's nomination was also not well received among artists. “Just the mere mention of his name has generated mostly negative reactions, and the future socioeconomic, cultural, and creative impacts are very worrying. São Paulo is one of the world's main cultural, creative, and tourist hubs, and a paralysis and regression in policies and mechanisms for valuing and investing in this enormous, diverse, and powerful production chain, in addition to the very guarantee of rights and access to culture as an exercise of full citizenship, would be very detrimental to the people of São Paulo and to the future of our country,” says Danilo Cesar, historian, producer, and cultural manager, one of the coordinators of the Broad Front in Defense of Culture SP and a member of the National Committee Pro Paulo Gustavo and Aldir Blanc Laws in Defense of Brazilian Culture.
César further explains that the pessimism surrounding Frias stems from his management style, which he described as "open warfare against the vast majority of his own sector, the opposite of collaborative and constructive dialogue." During Bolsonaro's government, the producer recalls, "the former Secretary of Culture took highly questionable measures regarding Pronac, signaling the dismantling of the main funds that keep Brazilian audiovisual production alive, in addition to emptying programs and policies for small and medium-sized producers."
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