Political fight between Ciro and Cid Gomes; understand in 6 points – 12/31/2023 – Power

Since the 2022 presidential election, brothers Ciro and Cid Gomes (both PDT) broke relations and split the party in Ceará, the family’s electoral stronghold.

The fight is marked by accusations of betrayal and arbitrariness.

On the one hand, Cid proposes an alliance between the PDT and the PT in Ceará. On the other, Ciro wants the independence of the PDT in the state. He also accuses his brother of having abandoned him in the race for Planalto and acting in favor of President Lula (PT).

Today, the PDT is part of the PT leader’s base, with the party’s licensed president, Carlos Lupi, Minister of Social Security.

Understand in 6 points the split between the brothers.

How the fight started

The separation between the former presidential candidate and the senator began with the choice of the PDT candidate for the Ceará government. Cid defended Izolda Cela, who took office after the then governor Camilo Santana (PT) took leave to run for the Senate.

Ciro, in turn, saw Izolda’s possible appointment as PT interference in the PDT’s plans. In the end, the party chose Roberto Cláudio, former mayor of Fortaleza — breaking the almost two-decade alliance with the PT, which launched Elmano de Freitas, state deputy at the time.

Annoyed, Cid withdrew from the state and presidential dispute, giving up coordinating his brother’s campaign, a position he held on other occasions when Ciro ran for President.

The senator’s attitude revolted the former minister, and the feeling of having been betrayed worsened during the second round campaign.

Cid, until then in hiding and saying he would leave politics, became an active electoral campaigner for Lula. After that, Ciro stated that his brother stabbed him in the back.

What is at stake

The fight between brothers impacts the PDT in three crucial aspects: the party’s stance in Ceará, its national relevance and strategies for 2024.

Cid wants to resume the alliance with the PT in Ceará and proposes a ticket with the PT members for the 2024 municipal election. Ciro disagrees. He defends that the party has its own candidate and is independent in relation to the PT governor.

Ceará is important for the PDT, as it is the state that gives the party the most votes for federal deputy. Of the 18 seats occupied by the party in the Chamber, 5 are from Ceará. It is the largest pedetista bench.

At least 43 mayors, 13 state deputies and 4 federal deputies announced that they would ask to disaffiliate from the party.

The only federal parliamentarian who did not request disaffiliation was André Figueiredo, leader of the party in the Chamber and acting national president of the PDT. With the departure of the deputies, the party’s space in the House drops to 13.

The dispute also makes it difficult to define the PDT’s strategies for 2024, as attention is focused on the conflict in Ceará. The assessment of the party leadership is that the split in the state is preventing the choice of cadres and alliances for the next elections in the rest of the country.

Why Ciro and Cid are important for PDT

Ciro and Cid joined the PDT in 2015 with the aim of making the party grow — which, in fact, they did.

In 2018, the party elected 28 deputies, 8 more than in the previous election. They made Ceará the largest party in the party: in 2014, the state only had one federal deputy from the PDT (André Figueiredo); in the following election, there were 6.

However, in 2022, the party significantly lost its space in the Chamber. The reduction is attributed by PDT supporters to an unsuccessful campaign by Ciro and his harsh attacks against Lula, which frightened left-wing voters who voted for the PDT. Still, a wing of the PDT national executive sees the former presidential candidate as an important political asset for 2026.

Cid, on the other hand, maintains his influence in Ceará politics, being appointed as responsible for the various requests for the departure of party members, including federal and state deputies, mayors and councilors.

Who has the most strength in the state

The biggest influence in Ceará is Cid. He is in a legal dispute with Figueiredo for the state directory. Today, an injunction from the state’s TRE (Regional Electoral Court) guarantees the presidency of the Ceará PDT to the senator.

Cid has the majority of pedetistas in the state on his side, including 13 of the 16 state deputies and 50 of the 57 mayors, according to his own account. With the exception of Figueiredo, he also has the support of all federal deputies and substitutes.

Ciro, in turn, lost part of his political capital in the last election. He distanced himself from his allies and was hidden from Roberto Cláudio’s campaign for state government. In 2022, he had his worst electoral result in the state, winning just 6.8% of the votes. Compared to 2018, when he also ran for Planalto, he had been the candidate with the most votes in Ceará, with 40.95%.

Who has the most strength in the party nationally

Cid’s stance in the last election also displeased Figueiredo and other PDT leaders, who believe that the senator turned his back on the party by not supporting the party’s candidates. Furthermore, the fight over the Ceará directory is seen as an affront by Cid to national leaders.

In this sense, Ciro has more strength in the national PDT than his brother. But it is also not unanimous among PED leaders.

Despite being on the same side as Ciro, Figueiredo is not a Cirist. He did not support the former presidential candidate’s campaign nor did he agree with the then candidate’s aggressive tone against Lula. This position is shared with other members of the PED leadership.

What can happen now

Cid’s departure from the PDT is already taken for granted by party colleagues. Despite still fighting in court to remain president of the Ceará directory, the senator already admits the possibility of disaffiliating, but emphasizes that the decision will be made together with allies. Figueiredo, in turn, has already expressed his intention to expel Cid.

There are two parties identified as Cid’s possible fate: Podemos and the PSB. In Ceará, the two acronyms have leaders linked to allies close to Cid. The first is commanded by Bismarck Maia, father of the PED federal deputy Eduardo Bismarck. In the second, the person in front is Camilo Santana’s father, Eudoro Santana.

As for Ciro’s future, the PDT’s idea is that he remains in the party and works to recover the losses caused by the fight with his brother. One option would be his candidacy for federal deputy in the 2026 election to strengthen the Pedestrian bench in the Chamber.

With Cid’s departure being consolidated, it will be the first time in 33 years that the brothers will not be in the same party.