Rookies take over the political scene and corner veterans in MG – 03/04/2023 – Politics

In the interior of Minas Gerais, it is common to hear that “a wind has blown” when someone wants to say that something has changed in a relevant way. It can be an opinion, a will or a decision.

Thus, a wind hit the politics of Minas Gerais. New faces, the majority under 40 years of age, took on positions of leadership in the state after last year’s elections —but not only after them—, while the so-called old guard, which even includes an “almost” president of the Republic, bitter decline.

Politicians from the older wing had already been affected in the 2018 elections, when the hitherto little-known and not-so-young Romeu Zema (Novo), now 58 years old, won the race for Tiradentes Palace beating candidates from traditional groups in the state led by PSDB and PT.

In the October elections, there was another stumble of the old guard, this time accompanied by the rise of new leaders.

Deputy Tadeu Martins Leite (MDB), 36, for example, after winning his fourth consecutive term for the Legislative Assembly in the election, was chosen President of the House in an election among his peers held on February 1st. He was the only candidate.

At the Belo Horizonte City Council, Gabriel Azevedo (without party), 36, was elected for his second consecutive term as councilor in 2020 and, in an election in December, won the race for the presidency of the House.

Two other new names in Minas Gerais politics also left the City Council. Duda Salabert (PDT), 41, the first trans federal deputy from Minas Gerais, was elected to Congress after being elected to the municipal legislature in 2020. The parliamentarian is now tipped to chair the House Environment Committee.

Nikolas Ferreira (PL), 26, like Duda, was elected councilor in 2020 and, in last year’s elections, won, with the highest vote compared to candidates from all over Brazil, a vacancy in the Chamber of Deputies. Bolsonarista, he was elected federal deputy with 1.4 million votes.

Senator Cleitinho (Republicans), 40, was also part of the Bolsonarist wave, elected last year for a vacancy in the House after starting his political career as councilor in Divinópolis in 2016. He was also elected state deputy in 2018.

At the same time, at the other end, there was a waning of those who once had great relevance in the national political scene, such as the former governor for two terms and former senator Aécio Neves (PSDB), 62.

At the height of his career, the toucan lost the 2014 presidential race by a narrow margin in the second round to Dilma Rousseff (PT), who was seeking re-election.

In 2018, still politically affected by a delation that made him a defendant during Lava Jato, Aécio ran for a seat in the Chamber and had 107,000 votes. The most voted deputy had more than twice as much. The toucan was elected again to the Chamber in 2022, but had 21 thousand fewer votes.

Also a former governor of the state, Fernando Pimentel (PT) had an even worse result in the October elections. When seeking a vacancy in the Chamber, the PT, who was once Minister of Development and Industry in the Dilma government, had 37,000 votes and did not win the election.

Former mayor of Belo Horizonte twice, Alexandre Kalil (PSD), 63, who won the municipal dispute in 2016 promoting himself as an outsider, has also lost space at the center of state politics.

After being re-elected in the first round in 2020, he left office to run for Palácio Tiradentes last year and was defeated by Zema without the need for a second round. His party is now an ally of the governor in the Assembly.

The advisors of Aécio, Pimentel and Kalil did not respond to questions sent by the report.

The arrival of the rookie wing of politics already congests the 2024 elections, for the city hall, and messes with the 2026, for the state government.

The mayor of Belo Horizonte, Gabriel Azevedo, is one of those quoted for next year’s dispute. As well as federal deputy Duda Salabert.

With his political capital as the most voted federal deputy in the country, Nikolas Ferreira is also a card in the deck. The current mayor is Fuad Noman (PSD), Kalil’s former deputy.

Already hanging around Tiradentes Palace with a view to 2026 is, by virtue of his position, the President of the Assembly, and Romeu Zema’s vice-president, Professor Simões (Novo), 41, also from the youngest wing of Minas Gerais politics, possible political heir to the governor .

The deputy already maintains an intense schedule of trips through the interior of the state. Zema is quoted for the presidential race in 2026.

Tadeu Leite, who chairs the Assembly, avoids questions about his political future, claiming dedication to the position he holds.

“I am entirely focused on my parliamentary mandate, with an attentive eye on the needs of the municipalities and the exercise of good management in the Legislative, so that public policies can promote improvements in people’s quality of life”, he said.

The mayor of Belo Horizonte, on the other hand, is more direct in relation to what he intends to do, although he also mentions his focus on the position.

“The electoral law prevents me from nominating myself as a candidate before the deadline. At the moment, I am focused on doing well as president of the Municipal Chamber of Belo Horizonte. And dedicating myself a lot”, he said.

In a note, Duda Salabert said that his party wants her as a candidate, but that he is still evaluating the possibility and is, at the same time, dialoguing with parties from the progressive field, aiming at building a broad front for the dispute for the position.

Nikolas Ferreira did not respond to contacts made by the report.