PSB positions Márcio França as Tarcísio's opponent in SP.
The Minister of Entrepreneurship leads criticism of the "free flow" toll and aims for a run for governor of São Paulo in 2026.
247 - The PSB in São Paulo has appointed the Minister of Entrepreneurship, Márcio França, to be the main spokesperson for criticisms of Governor Tarcísio de Freitas's (Republicanos) administration in party advertisements that begin airing on radio and TV this Thursday (9). The move reinforces the party's strategy of positioning França as a possible candidate for governor of São Paulo in 2026, at a time when President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and the PT have not yet defined the name that will represent the government camp in the dispute.
According to the newspaper The GlobeInternally, the PSB's assessment is that Tarcísio's tarnished image over the toll issue could open up space for a competitive candidacy from the minister.
During the party program, França will directly criticize the governor's concessions policy and the new automatic toll system implemented on state highways, the "free flow." "The new thing on São Paulo's highways has a super fancy name, in English, 'free flow.' It's a toll without a booth and without options. You pass, you pay. In plain Portuguese, you don't even see where the blow is coming from. That's how Tarcísio treats the average citizen (...). Discounts only for friendly businessmen," the minister will say in the advertisement.
The system, which eliminates toll booths and charges a value proportional to the distance traveled, began operating this week on stretches such as the Raposo Tavares highway. Despite criticism, the model is also being adopted on federal highways under the responsibility of the Minister of Transport, Renan Filho (MDB).
Behind the scenes, PSB leaders believe that the toll issue has caused "significant political damage" to Tarcísio, especially in the interior of the state, where allied parliamentarians are pushing for discounts or exemptions for residents of affected cities. There are also complaints about payment failures and undue fines for alleged evasion.
In response, the São Paulo state government's Secretariat for Investment Partnerships stated that "in addition to speeding up travel, the free flow in the new concessions will bring tariff fairness by allowing drivers to pay only for the section actually traveled."
Alckmin assumes the role of negotiator.
Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, also from the PSB party, appears on another front of party propaganda. He adopts a tone focused on national politics, aligned with the Lula government's discourse on sovereignty and reindustrialization, reinforced after the announcement of the tariff hikes imposed by the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
In the piece, Alckmin highlights his actions amidst the diplomatic and commercial crisis. "Since the tariff hike, I have been committed to negotiating a solution that alleviates the impact on our population, seeking more trade agreements and investments to protect thousands of jobs throughout Brazil," states the vice-president.
The PSB is exploiting Alckmin's image as a political strategist and good interlocutor with the business community, at a time when Lula is seeking to broaden his support base among the productive sector. The former governor of São Paulo, who served two terms, was praised by the president himself for his negotiating skills during the episode involving federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL) and pro-Bolsonaro demonstrations in the United States.
Electoral strategy and counterpoint to the far right.
Completing the narrative of the advertisements, state representative Caio França and federal representative Tabata Amaral also participate in the material shown to voters in São Paulo. Both defend the "banner of industry, employment, and national sovereignty," in contrast to acts of the far right, such as what occurred on September 7th, when Bolsonaro supporters unfurled a huge American flag on Paulista Avenue.
The PSB's offensive on social media and TV has a dual objective: to strengthen Márcio França's image as a viable candidate for state governor and to reaffirm the party as a protagonist within Lula's support base, amidst the uncertainties surrounding the composition of the 2026 presidential ticket.
