Bolsonaro arrives in Minas Gerais with the mission of boosting allies’ candidacies

Former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) dressed up as an electoral campaigner and arrived in Minas Gerais this Tuesday (2) to try to boost the campaign of political allies who will contest the municipal elections in October.

For deputy Domingos Sávio (PL), president of the PL in Minas, presence is essential. “We are all united. We are the largest federal bench today and we are led by President Jair Bolsonaro, who is considered one of the best electoral leaders in the country; who had an austere government and is suffering persecution. But every day they persecute Bolsonaro, the stronger he becomes. This strengthens the PL,” he says.

This is Bolsonaro’s fourth visit to Minas Gerais after the 2022 presidential election and the first in this election year. His main opponent on the national political scene, President Lula (PT), spent 2023 without any visits to the State; in 2024, he has already been twice: he passed through Belo Horizonte, in February, and Serra do Salitre, in the Triângulo Mineiro, in March.

“Bolsonaro will be present not only here in the Triângulo Mineiro, but throughout Minas Gerais (…) for us at PL, it is a reason for great joy to be able to count on him, starting with a region that is very important and where we will have pre -candidates for mayor in the two largest cities. He does this this week, but he will also, in the near future, visit all other regions of Minas Gerais”, concludes Domingos Sávio.

Different stance from that which should be adopted by Lula. The president of the PT in Minas, state deputy Cristiano Silveira, highlighted the importance of the PT member as an electoral leader, but has already warned that he should avoid taking very strong stances in cities where there is a dispute between allies. “It is not reasonable for Lula to make an option in a scenario in which several candidates supported him in the second round (of the presidential elections, in 2022)”, explains Silveira.

Start of walk

O The former president’s first appointment is in Uberaba, in the Triângulo Mineiro, this Tuesday, where Bolsonaro participates in the launch of Samir Cecílio’s (PL) pre-candidacy, former city councilor. On Wednesday (3), Jair Bolsonaro will go to Uberlândia to participate in the launch of the pre-candidacy for mayor of state deputy Cristiano Caporezzo (PL).

In Belo Horizonte, the city in which Bolsonaro announced his support for state deputy Bruno Engler (PL), the former president is expected to visit next month. “We are working so that the president can be in Belo Horizonte at the beginning of May. During his visit, he (Bolsonaro) will also be able to visit Contagem and cities in the Metropolitan Region”, he highlights.

Division

During his visit to Minas, Bolsonaro will not meet with governor Romeu Zema (Novo). The two are allies and were together in the last election. After Bolsonaro’s defeat, Zema became one of the main faces of opposition to Lula and even went to São Paulo, in February, to follow the demonstration in support of Bolsonaro, on Avenida Paulista.

However, Bolsonaro’s declaration of support for his party’s candidates shows that municipal disputes could cause a split in the group that walked alongside the former president in the 2022 presidential election.

In Uberlândia, the strongest example, Novo, Romeu Zema’s party, stated that it seeks to build a majority candidacy, but shows signs that it may embark on the candidacy of the current vice-mayor, Paulo Sérgio (PP), who will compete against Caporezzo with the support of another former ally of Bolsonaro, current mayor Odelmo Leão (PP).

For political scientist Adriano Cerqueira, this is a normal situation, which should happen in cities where there is a second round, both with the field identified as “right” and with “left” parties. The professor warned, however, that this scenario should not be repeated across the state.

“The vast majority of municipalities will have a single round election. The exception is the capital and cities with more than 200 thousand voters, which is the case of Uberlândia and Uberaba. In these cities, there are generally a greater number of applications. The possibility of a second round eliminates the need for bottlenecks in the first round. In smaller cities, candidates, whether right or left, cannot afford to divide the electorate”, he assesses.

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