With his eye on Guanabara, Bernardinho is from the PSDB party.
Without fanfare, Bernardinho, coach of the Brazilian national volleyball team, signed his membership form with the PSDB party; although he hasn't officially announced it yet, he will likely be the party's candidate for the Guanabara Palace (Rio de Janeiro state government). This move was coordinated by former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Senator Aécio Neves, who is seeking a strong platform in Rio, the country's third-largest electoral college, where polls show former governor Anthony Garotinho of the PR party in the lead, followed by Senator Lindbergh Farias.
247 - The PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) has found the celebrity it was looking for to build a strong platform in Rio de Janeiro, the country's third-largest electoral college, behind only São Paulo and Minas Gerais. Without fanfare, coach Bernardinho signed his membership form with the PSDB in July and will likely be the party's candidate for the Guanabara Palace, currently occupied by Brazil's most unpopular governor: Sergio Cabral of the PMDB (Brazilian Democratic Movement Party).
Bernardinho joined the party after a move orchestrated by former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Senator Aécio Neves (PSDB-MG), who had considered other names for the race. Before Bernardinho, TV presenter Luciano Huck and economists Pedro Malan and Armínio Fraga were also approached. All of them were reluctant to run for governor of Rio.
The coach of the Brazilian national volleyball team, although he has not yet decided whether or not to run for governor of Guanabara, will probably give in to pressure from the PSDB party, which previously governed the state with Marcello Alencar, but was later decimated in Rio de Janeiro, losing some of its key figures – including the current mayor of the capital, Eduardo Paes.
According to the PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) analysis, after the earthquake that hit Cabral, the political landscape is open to new developments. Today, opinion polls place former governor Anthony Garotinho (PR-RJ) in the lead, followed by Senator Lindbergh Farias (PT-RJ). The government's candidate, Vice-Governor Luiz Fernando Pezão, sometimes appears in fourth, or even fifth place, behind names like Marcelo Crivella, Minister of Fisheries, and Cesar Maia, former mayor and currently city councilor.
With no political experience, Bernardinho would face his first test at the polls, precisely in a major election. In Rio, another athlete who migrated from sports to politics, former player Romário, is also expected to shake things up in 2014. He switched from the PSB to the PR, where he will be a candidate for senator, forming a ticket with Garotinho.