Eduardo Paes looks for the right and holds off pressure from PT for vice – 04/14/2024 – Power

The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes (PSD), closed the party window by nodding to conservatives while resisting pressure from the PT to give up his vice-president position in the October election, when he will seek re-election.

Paes maintains as his main goal to attract União Brasil, PP and MDB, whose commanders are linked to Bolsonarism in Rio de Janeiro. He also counts on evangelical leaders to expand the alliance.

The mayor’s objective is to reach agreement with these acronyms and hinder the attempt to nationalize the campaign by deputy Alexandre Ramagem (PL), nominated by former president Jair Bolsonaro for the dispute. The reading is that, with an expanded coalition, the mayor will be able to present himself not only as an ally of President Lula, but also of a broader front focused on the city.

So far, Paes’ only ally on the right is the Republicans, whose regional president is the mayor of Belford Roxo, Waguinho Carneiro, a strong ally of Lula. In addition to him, the mayor closed the support of center-left acronyms, such as PT, PSB, PDT and other smaller ones.

Paes’ greatest difficulty in this movement is his resistance to negotiating his vice presidential running mate. The position is competitive because he is seen as a potential candidate for the state government in 2026, when he would have to leave the position, transforming his running mate into a direct candidate for the position whose term runs until 2028.

The mayor wants a name from his political group as vice president. The favorite is federal deputy Pedro Paulo (PSD).

The closing of the party window showed that he did not want to divide his close allies into the acronyms he is targeting. There was an expectation that one of the options for vice-president would join União Brasil, such as Pedro Paulo and the president of the City Council, Carlo Caiado. Both remained in the PSD.

Another sign that the alliance with the Union remains distant was the affiliation of state deputy Rodrigo Amorim to the party. He is a pre-candidate in the dispute, with one of his stimulators being the president of the Legislative Assembly (Alerj), Rodrigo Bacellar, regional commander of the party.

Paes gave the PSD to Bacellar in Campos dos Goytacazes, the electoral base of the president of Alerj. The objective is to maintain some political connection until the end of the conventions period, in early August.

Meanwhile, he counts on the support of national party leaders, such as Antônio Rueda and ACM Neto, to convince Bacellar to join his ticket.

The mayor also courts the PP, whose pre-candidate is federal deputy Marcelo Queiroz. Politicians from Rio de Janeiro assess that the party will maintain its candidacy so that federal deputy Doutor Luizinho, president of the party in the state, does not create any differences with any party, given his intention to run for command of the Chamber of Deputies in 2025.

The MDB has Bolsonaro federal deputy Otoni de Paula as its pre-candidate. Paes tries to convince members of the old party to join his ticket. Just as he did with Bacellar, the mayor handed over the PSD of Duque de Caxias to a relative of the head of MDB-RJ, Washington Reis.

While he did not establish party alliances on the right, Paes managed to secure the support of influential evangelical figures. The political coordinator of the Universal Church in the state, Deangeles Percy, joined and is a pre-candidate for councilor for the PSD.

The mayor also counts on the influence of pastor Abner Ferreira, from the Assembly of God, to withdraw Otoni de Paula’s pre-candidacy and attract the MDB to his alliance.

Another movement to the right was the reconciliation with his former secretary Rodrigo Bethlem, with whom he had broken in 2014.

He currently works as a political consultant for conservative politicians, such as former mayor Marcelo Crivella, from the Republicans. At the beginning of the year, the former ally participated in conversations with Amorim and Otoni to articulate the options in this field for the dispute. About two months ago, he joined the current mayor’s group of advisors.

The movements to the right of Paes occur at a time when the PT threatens to intensify the pressure for vice. The movement has been led by the party’s president, Gleisi Hoffmann.

The mayor counts on Lula’s intervention in his favor. He assesses that the president will understand how PT’s entry into the vice presidential election can contribute to the nationalization of the campaign in Rio, which would strengthen Ramagem.

Lula gave the first signal to Paes’ meeting during minister Anielle Franco’s (Racial Equality) affiliation with the PT, at the beginning of the month. At the event, he said that the new PT member would not be a candidate this year, chilling supporters of her name as Paes’ vice president, including First Lady Janja.

The options under discussion in the PT are the special secretary of Federative Affairs, André Ceciliano, and the municipal secretary of Social Assistance, Adilson Pires, who was Paes’ deputy in his second term (2013-2016).

Paes does not rule out running for re-election even without the support of the PT, if pressure becomes a requirement. The scenario depends on an assessment closer to the start of the campaign.