Ricardo Nunes sees uncertainties for campaign in SP in 2024 – 05/13/2023 – Politics

In search of a robust coalition to run for re-election to the Mayor of São Paulo next year, Ricardo Nunes (MDB) faces divisions and uncertainties in the group of parties that form his base, without the full guarantee of the boarding of the allied acronyms in his campaign .

The situation tends to become more unstable until the election chess is defined, with the onslaught of other candidates for support. Guilherme Boulos (PSOL), Ricardo Salles (PL) and Tabata Amaral (PSB) may advance on associations currently linked to Nunes.

Parties such as PL, União Brasil, Republicanos, PSDB and others ponder questions such as Nunes’ electoral viability, his knowledge among the electorate and the quality of management in the city — themes that concern leaders. In addition, they claim the place of vice on the plate in exchange for membership.

The most notable case is that of the PL, by Valdemar Costa Neto, owner of the largest bench in the Chamber and, therefore, the acronym with more electoral money and TV time. The Bolsonarist wing of the party encourages the candidacy of Salles, federal deputy and former minister who has the endorsement of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

The leaders of the PL resist the idea. The party dominates the Environment Secretariat in the Nunes administration — secretary Eduardo de Castro (PL) left the portfolio, but was replaced by his chief of staff, Rodrigo Ravena.

“Today the PL is Ricardo Nunes”, says the municipal president, councilor Isac Félix. Questioned about Salles, he replies that “the PL has ethics” and that the deputy cannot impose a candidacy “down his throat”.

The division in the PL anticipated the race and drew a parallel dispute between Nunes and Salles. Allies of both see Boulos as a favorite and, therefore, fight to occupy the second place in the second round.

Nunes tries to keep the PL under his control, which depends on getting Bolsonaro to support him or at least stay neutral – a framework that could lead Salles to withdraw from the race. In addition, allies of the mayor are considering offering the vice chair to the party, in an attempt to guarantee membership.

The two candidates obtained gestures from Bolsonaro in recent days. Salles and the former president were together in Ribeirão Preto (SP), when Bolsonaro told allies that he does not accept supporting the mayor.

But Nunes and Bolsonaro had lunch together on the 6th, and the mayor appeared alongside the former president at a PL event in the capital of São Paulo, where he was honored by Michelle Bolsonaro.

In União Brasil, the mayor, Milton Leite, defends that the party supports the re-election of Nunes, who is his ally. The caption pleads to indicate a name for deputy. “The party is closed with Ricardo Nunes, as we have an agreement signed in the 2022 election”, says Leite.

However, the MBL (Movimento Brasil Livre) is trying to launch the candidacy of federal deputy Kim Kataguiri (União Brasil-SP). If the party does not embark on this idea, a candidacy for another acronym is not ruled out, if Kataguiri manages to leave without losing his mandate.

The parliamentarian, however, says that nothing is defined, nor that the MBL will launch someone.

As the Panel column of the Sheet, there is an estrangement between Leite and Nunes, which encourages the possibility of a candidacy of the União Brasil. The name considered is that of former governor Rodrigo Garcia (PSDB), considering that he must leave the tucanate and return to his former initials.

Rodrigo, however, has said that he will not be a candidate in the municipal election and that he supports Nunes’ re-election.

The alliance between the Republicans and Nunes is taken for granted both by the party’s municipal president, councilor André Santos, and by the national one, Marcos Pereira — but there is an impasse involving the main name of the party, governor Tarcísio de Freitas.

For now, Tarcísio’s allies say he has not decided whether to support Nunes, with whom he has a good relationship and who should be his party’s choice, or Salles, with whom he shares Bolsonarist ties and who should have the blessing of his godfather, Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaristas claim that the governor should follow the former president. In this sense, they even speculate that Tarcísio leaves the Republicans, something that his surroundings say is out of the question at the moment.

The Republicans are also in line for Nunes’s vice president. “We didn’t even consider another name other than the mayor. If he is correct and keeps his word, our tendency is to be with him”, says Santos.

In the PSDB, from whom Nunes inherited the municipal administration after the death of Bruno Covas (PSDB), the municipal leadership says it is closed with the mayor, but the state and federal bodies say no, and the acronym will still hold internal consultations to decide.

“Ricardo Nunes was Bruno’s personal choice, he would be Bruno’s re-election candidate, it doesn’t make sense not to support him. And we’re going to push for the party to nominate the vice”, says the municipal president, Fernando Alfredo. The acronym considers that it would be a gesture of retribution from the mayor to choose a toucan.

Behind the scenes, however, PSDB members opened conversations with Tabata. As shown to Sheetthe search for alternatives has as a backdrop the dissatisfaction of cadres who are excluded from command posts in the city hall and who consider Nunes aligned with Bolsonarism.

The PSD, according to the national president, Gilberto Kassab, must choose from August whether to launch a name or form an alliance. In the second case, support will probably be for Nunes.

PP and Podemos should walk with the mayor. “Now is when the movement of the parties will begin. Nunes is doing work that has leveraged his management and has a forecast of investments in works and infrastructure that, I am sure, will give even more notoriety to his mandate”, says the state president of Podemos, federal deputy Rodrigo Gambale.

One of the first ruptures at the base of Nunes should occur with the announcement of support by Solidarity to Boulos, which is scheduled for the next few days, according to the national president, federal deputy Paulinho da Força.

The mayor even boasted about the party’s support for his government in an interview with Sheet in March. At the time, he used Solidariedade as an example of dialogue with the left — the acronym was part of Lula’s coalition (PT).

“We should have a talk with Boulos this week. Almost, we can say, [será] definitive”, says Paulinho.

The PSOL federal deputy is committed to supporting the PT, which for the first time should be left without a majority candidate in the city. As the two acronyms make up federations, the leader of housing movements already automatically has the endorsement of Rede, PC do B and PV.

Tabata’s allies are also hoping to attract support passing through Nunes’ base. In addition to the PSDB, there have already been nods to Solidarity, to the PSD and to Podemos.

“We are already looking for representatives of other parties, but conversations are still preliminary and reserved. The seams also depend on the national scenario”, says state deputy Caio França (PSB-SP).

Mayor’s assistants minimize the possible stampede of allies and rely on the pragmatism of the acronyms, which have management positions and do not want to compete against the machine. In addition, the orientation is to concentrate efforts on improvements for the city, especially in janitorial services, to strengthen Nunes electorally.