Opposition governors adopt caution with Bolsonarism – 01/28/2023 – Politics

Governors elected in the wake of Bolsonarism, such as Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos-SP) and Romeu Zema (Novo-MG), adopted anti-PTism and the defense of economic liberalism as strategies in the dispute for the portion of the right that repels Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

Politicians, seen as interested in the former president’s electoral spoils if he loses strength by 2026, have balanced between nods to the more conservative base and speeches of republican relationship with the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

So far, they have been reducing the emphasis on Bolsonarism’s ideological flags and on agendas dear to the extreme right. The January 8 coup attacks reinforced the tendency to leave, especially after the former president came under the investigation’s crosshairs.

Tarcísio, for example, frustrated Bolsonaro supporters by attenuating the defense of radical agendas and preferring a technical line in most areas of management.

At the same time, opposition to the PT gained momentum. The most obvious case is that of Zema, who spread the thesis without proof that the federal government would have turned a “blind eye” to the attacks in Brasília in order to victimize itself.

To define their lines of opposition to Lula and their relationship with Bolsonaro, the governors took into account, on the one hand, the need to maintain a channel with the government to make projects viable and, on the other hand, the realization that politicians branded as traitors by the bolsonaristas ended up sinking.

Former minister, Tarcísio is the one with the closest ties with Bolsonarism. But unlike Zema, who is in his second term, he still has the option of seeking re-election before running for the Planalto Palace.

For this reason, Tarcísio’s allies claim that he should dedicate himself to management, and not to politics, since to be viable for any position he will have to show results. According to interlocutors, he rules out engaging in opposition to Lula for the time being.

The governor adopted an ambiguous stance, sometimes rejecting or supporting the conservative agenda. In addition to giving little space to Bolsonarists in the first echelon, he went so far as to say that he was not a “root Bolsonarista”. But he also made nods to the base, nominating Bolsonarists from the federal government in the second echelon.

Allies downplay the danger that Tarcísio will be seen as a traitor. According to them, it is already clear to voters that the governor is following his own path, but within the right wing.

One issue that generated wear and tear for the governor among right-wing voters was his meetings, three so far, with Lula. With Gilberto Kassab (PSD), who has a good relationship with the PT, as a political articulator, Tarcísio has been advised to maintain a republican relationship with the president.

The governor of São Paulo did not embark on the bellicose speech against the PT – the tone is that the state and federal governments are partners in a series of projects.

At the meeting with the president on January 9, however, he sent a message to Lula when he demanded gestures of peace. He had already used this term at his inauguration, mentioning the recognition of Bolsonaro’s positive legacy.

Still according to Tarcísio’s allies, the governor wants to clash with the Lula government by comparing the administrations – a strategy also adopted by Zema.

The governor of Minas Gerais took the lead so far in anti-PT statements after blaming the Lula government for the vandalism. Zema went to Lula’s meeting with the governors this Friday (27th), but did not stay for lunch at the Itamaraty afterwards.

To oppose Lula, Zema must intensify the anti-PT rhetoric that has been part of his political career since the first election, in 2018. The previous occupant of the position was Fernando Pimentel (PT), whose management was marked by financial difficulties and salary delays .

If criticism of the PT and the defense of liberal agendas are still alive in Zema’s strategy, his relationship with Bolsonarism has changed. In 2019, he stated that the DNA of Novo and PSL (the former president’s party at the time) coincided by 99.5%.

Now, with Bolsonaro’s radicalism and coup d’état in evidence, the attitude is different.

“The governor and Novo do not resemble Bolsonarism in terms of political practice. Our path will be discussed, but without giving up the liberal guidelines that mark our government plan and our action”, says the deputy governor and one of the main Zema’s political articulators, Mateus Simões (Novo).

Caution was also evident in last year’s campaign. Zema only supported Bolsonaro in the second round and, even so, he said he was “putting differences aside” and said he believed “much more in President Bolsonaro’s proposal than in that of his opponent”.

In Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite (PSDB), who tried to run for the Presidency and lost the party’s primaries in 2021, distinguishes himself from the others by seeking to oppose Lula and Bolsonaro to the same extent. The gaucho wants to position himself as the representative of a democratic unit of center parties.

In 2018, Leite declared his vote for Bolsonaro, but four years later he remained neutral. During this period, he intensified the defense of democracy and condemned denialism, in clashing gestures with the former president. The fact that he revealed his homosexuality also alienated him from the conservative agenda.

In the PSDB, the party he now presides over, there is pressure for the acronym to reconnect with anti-PTism and take back its place in the national polarization, hijacked by Bolsonaro.

After Lula called the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff (PT) a coup last week, the party went to court against the use of the word and stated that this “is an extremist speech and encourages the attack on institutions”.

Leite, on the other hand, has sought a balanced opposition, in addition to making a counterpoint through economics and management. But, in the meeting with Lula on the 9th, he made a point of demarcating his place in the opposition. “Respect for the result of the polls goes beyond any disagreement we have from a political point of view.”

Analysts say that dependence on the states makes it difficult for governors to openly oppose the federal machine. They also make the reservation that the names suggested on the right will not necessarily head slates — they may have value as vice-presidents or in the articulation of a candidacy.

For political scientist Humberto Dantas, right-wing leaders seek to fill the political and electoral vacuum left by Bolsonaro.

“Zema raised the tone against Lula at a greater intensity than the average of other governors, who toned down their speeches”, observes the coordinator of the public management course at Fipe. Dantas claims that it will be necessary to monitor whether what he calls the “neither-nor speech” will be adhered to by the electorate.