MDB scholarship holder is an asset for negotiating with PL in SP – 01/09/2024 – Power

With the aim of guaranteeing the PL’s support for the re-election of mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB) in São Paulo, the MDB will use the pre-candidacy of Bolsonaro federal deputy Otoni de Paula (MDB-RJ) for Rio de Janeiro City Hall as a trump card in negotiations.

Otoni has been a pre-candidate since last year and has a strong presence in the evangelical electorate, having the potential to make the work of federal deputy Alexandre Ramagem (PL) difficult for the place in the second round of the election in the capital of Rio de Janeiro.

Behind the scenes, the MDB’s national leadership admits that, if Otoni does not reach at least 10% of votes, the party tends to give up its own candidacy to support the PL. The removal of the name, however, would only materialize if Jair Bolsonaro’s party works for the election of Nunes in São Paulo.

While there is no definition, the MDB keeps the pre-candidacy alive. Until then seen with suspicion in Rio’s political circles, it gained more strength at the end of December, when Otoni posted a video alongside the party’s national president, Baleia Rossi, endorsing the postulation.

The decision whether or not to keep Otoni in the running must be made by April, according to members of the MDB. The party will carry out a survey in March to assess the chances of the Bolsonaro deputy.

The re-election of Nunes, whose main opponent is Guilherme Boulos (PSOL), is the MDB’s priority in 2024. Rio, in turn, is seen as central by Bolsonaro, as it is his electoral base.

The PL is the party with the largest share of the electoral fund and the longest advertising time on radio and TV.

PL president, Valdemar Costa Neto, told Sheet in December that his party will support Nunes, as well as Bolsonaro. Allies of the emedebista take for granted a coalition with the PL, despite the mixed signals from the former president, who has already publicly endorsed in São Paulo the pre-candidacy of federal deputy Ricardo Salles (PL).

Salles depends on a letter from Valdemar that releases him to leave the PL without losing his mandate and, thus, join the Democratic Renewal Party (merger of PTB with Patriota) to run for Mayor of São Paulo.

If, in Rio de Janeiro, an MDB candidacy can drag votes from Ramagem, in São Paulo the eventual candidacy of Salles, even outside the PL, also dehydrates Nunes, who loses the votes of the Bolsonarists.

When contacted by the reporter, Baleia Rossi stated that Otoni is a pre-candidate in Rio. “He has worked hard and improved his performance in the polls,” he said.

The MDB president also mentioned the recent affiliation of the vice-governor of Rio, Thiago Pampolha, to the party as a sign that the party is strengthened in the state and, therefore, is capable of contesting the capital.

The president of Rio’s MDB, Washington Reis, opened a dialogue channel with governor Cláudio Castro (PL), who supports Ramagem. One of the options for the acronym is to occupy the deputy position of the former head of Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency).

An evangelical pastor, Otoni has a strong presence in the Bolsonarist electorate and can obtain votes that, without his name in the ballot box, would go to Ramagem.

Although emedebistas and members of the PL recognize that it will be difficult for Otoni to surpass Ramagem, who will count on Bolsonaro’s personal commitment, there is concern that lost votes could jeopardize reaching the second round, depending on the performance of deputy Tarcísio Motta (PSOL).

Mayor Eduardo Paes (PSD), pre-candidate for re-election, is seen as the right name in the second round.

Otoni demonstrated his strength in the last election by obtaining 158 thousand votes for the Chamber of Deputies, being the seventh most voted in Rio de Janeiro. The result was obtained even without being able to use their social networks, blocked in August 2021 by order of the STF (Supreme Federal Court). He had just 1,000 fewer votes than Tarcísio.

Otoni de Paula was the target of search and seizure warrants from the PF (Federal Police) on August 20, 2021, with singer Sérgio Reis, on the eve of September 7th. Since then, his Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube profiles have been blocked.

The parliamentarian is also a defendant in a criminal action in the Supreme Court on charges of insult and defamation against minister Alexandre de Moraes, as a result of the first complaint made as part of the investigation into undemocratic acts. He published videos on his social networks in which he called him a sewer of the STF, a scoundrel and a tyrant.

After the election, Otoni toned down his speech. He took photos with PT members and avoided participating in demonstrations that could offend the STF. Last September, he recovered his social networks and, in the inaugural publication, attacked Eduardo Paes. The tone has been maintained in recent months, interspersed with conservative agendas.