Tarcísio’s test at Alesp exposes failure with allies – 05/20/2023 – Politics

The first projects sent by Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) to the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo opened up the crisis between the governor and his support base, dimensioned the risk posed by the opposition and generated criticism even to the President of the House, André do Prado (PL ), allied with the Palácio dos Bandeirantes.

The project that raised the minimum wage in the state to R$ 1,550, approved on the last 10th, and the one that grants an increase for civil and military police, which should be voted on this Tuesday (23rd), arrived at Alesp on the last 2nd. under a climate of pressure from right-wing deputies to Tarcísio.

Since the beginning of the government, parliamentarians, especially Bolsonarists, claim gestures from Tarcísio, such as distributing amendments and positions, giving access to government decisions and demonstrating alignment with the ideological agenda of Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

The governor, in turn, seeks to shield his management from party influences and has positioned himself at the center, even seeking a good relationship with the Lula government (PT). As shown to SheetTarcísio puts his political activities in the background and avoids going up to the podium for the 2026 election.

Carelessness with political relations as opposed to careful management could cost Tarcísio his electoral future, in the opinion of strategists who advise him to contemplate allies. Deputies want to send the message to the governor that his base is not solid.

The proposal for the police generated insurgency at the base, which took the government by surprise. On Wednesday (17th), Tarcísio admitted that he was dissatisfied and said that management may have “failed to communicate the project and the readjustment concept”.

“There is a discomfort in relation to communication, recognized by André and Tarcísio. It is normal at the beginning of the term. This has been adjusted. The governor held meetings, explained and has fulfilled his promises”, says ally Lucas Bove (PL).

In 2022 alone, former governors João Doria and Rodrigo Garcia (PSDB) paid more than R$ 1.28 billion in extra amendments to base deputies – twice the amount spent on tax amendments, which are mandatory and distributed equally. As revealed to Sheetpayment was linked to political support and project approval.

Government members minimize the political clashes and claim that Tarcísio should not maintain the Tucano amendment scheme, but that mayors and deputies will have demands from their regions met.

The political articulation is in charge of the secretary Gilberto Kassab (PSD) and the government leader, Jorge Wilson (Republicans).

As they deal with salary increases, these two projects (police and minimum wage) should represent a smooth start for Tarcísio in the House, since the left-wing opposition, with 24 of the 94 seats, also votes in favor of these cases.

Governor’s assistants see more tension in controversial projects, such as the privatization of Sabesp and the reduction of the minimum expenditure on education.

Even these first tests, however, brought difficulty for the governor. There was resistance on the part of the bullet bench, which represents an important portion of Tarcísio’s electorate, and a police demonstration in the Assembly.

Security deputies had to explain themselves to their voters because of the different values ​​for each category and because the text provided, without them knowing, a greater discount for retirees.

The leak of a message from an advisor to the Security Secretary, Guilherme Derrite, accusing the bullet bench of treason and threatening to withdraw the project, aggravated the crisis.

It took meetings between the group of nearly ten deputies and the governor to contain the rebellion. Tarcísio pledged to remove the issue of retirees and to submit new projects in the future to address dissatisfied police classes. He argued that the average increase of 20% was higher than that granted in previous administrations.

The parliamentarians, then, started to occupy the tribune to defend the project and Tarcísio, but the scar with the electorate was evident in the speeches, which asked for a vote of confidence of the population to the governor.

There are also criticisms, made privately by the base and publicly by the opposition, to the fact that the government does not accept that the text be modified —something seen as intransigence by Tarcísio and submission by André.

Not even changes coming from the base were accepted by the rapporteur, deputy Carlos Cezar, leader of the PL, on the grounds that they would increase the cost of the project —BRL 5 billion per year. An amendment by Deputy Major Mecca (PL) started to be defended by the PT, but there is no expectation that it will be approved.

“I think the Executive’s attitude is terrible, because it is a government that has dialogue as its motto, but we did not participate in the construction of the project”, says Bolsonarist Gil Diniz (PL). “It is the Executive’s prerogative to make the project, but it is the Legislative’s to improve it. It remains as a lesson. Thankfully it happened in a project that will be approved anyway.”

Deputies heard by the report consider that depriving Parliament of changing the text of the Executive reduces the role of deputies and recall that André was elected president with the promise of giving prominence to the House.

In a lecture for businessmen on Monday (15th), alongside Tarcísio, André stated that the Legislature does not stamp government projects and praised the governor.

So far, they remain in line, including with the president speeding up the two projects, which should be approved in less than a month —in the same logic that governed the toucan administrations.

“The environment here shocks me”, says Donato (PT), who was a councilor for 18 years. “When the government sends a bill, it has to leave room for negotiation. In the Chamber, no Executive bill comes out as it entered.

He says that André “submitted himself to the whims of the government” and that it was “time to establish a relationship, which can be a partnership, but which has a minimum of arrogance and participation”.

There are deputies, on the other hand, who defend André and say that future projects will give rise to plenary participation. In previous votes, the government accepted amendments.

The opposition has been another obstacle for Tarcísio. The vote on the readjustment for the police has already been postponed twice by the PT — the increase will only be paid from August, anyway. More numerous than in the previous legislature, when it had 15 seats, the left now has more obstruction mechanisms.

In approving the minimum wage, however, PT leader Paulo Fiorilo said he had made a gesture to the government. According to him, if it weren’t for the left, there wouldn’t be enough deputies in the plenary. Tarcísio’s allies argue that they were in the House and would go down to the plenary to vote if necessary.