The Governor of São Paulo, Tarcisio de Freitas (Republicans), said on Wednesday (26) that he “does not need to be the protagonist” when asked about right-wing nominations to the federal government in 2026. He cited other governors as good examples of the administration and that “in time” there will be a definition of who will lead this project.
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Asked if he did not want to expand the work he did in São Paulo to the rest of the country, Tarcicio said that “everyone has a role” and said he had a “mission” in the state, but wanted to “contribute” at the federal level, without explaining how. He also criticized the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
– I want to be part of the team, no matter what position I play. This is the most important thing. I don’t necessarily need to be the protagonist. I want to help and contribute, because if we don’t contribute, we will feel frustrated. The big question is what do I want to leave for future generations? ? What do I want to leave to my children, to my grandchildren? I don’t want to leave this country over there, this Labor country. I don’t think anyone wants that. (…) Sometimes the role, the help here in São Paulo, or in another role, is not a problem – he said during the UBS WM Latin America Summit event.
Addressing an audience full of businessmen, Tarcisio said that people are very “concerned” and that there is still time to define a right-wing path in the 2026 elections. The governor said that he has “great respect for the leadership” of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and that he will have a “fundamental role” in this arrangement.
— So, don’t worry because it’s at the right time, and that right time doesn’t have to be now, people don’t insist on it. Oh, it’s December. No, it’s not. It might be January, it might be February, it might be March. No problem it will take some time. We need a successful project, the community will understand, and will follow any path. He added that, in some way, everyone understands that what is there is not legal.
Tarcisio cited allies such as conservatives Ronaldo Caedo* (Uniao), from Goiás, Romeo Zema (Novo), from Minas Gerais, Ratinho Junior (PSD), from Paraná, Eduardo Leite (PSD), from Rio Grande do Sul, and Jorginho Melo (PL), from Santa Catarina, as “a good crop capable of doing their duty.”
Tarcisio also indirectly criticized the current government’s fiscal policy, praising former Economy Minister Paulo Guedes and stating that “mathematics and ideology are two things that do not mix” and that the country “will immediately face the problem of calculations.”
Will you have the will to implement reforms, will you stand against Al Qaeda, will you let Brazil fail, or will it sink into recession? Because there is no alternative, there are only these two alternatives. Then the Brazilians will realize this. And then you will see that there is a more wonderful project here, which is the one I will start on – said the governor.
Tarcisio also referred to amnesty for those convicted of the coup attempt as a “political remedy that has been used several times in Brazil, in different situations” and that the National Congress needs a “calming tool.”
– The 1988 Constitution is the result of amnesty. If there had been no amnesty, there would have been no Constitution 88. The constitutional amendment that called for the Constitution 88 talked about amnesty. And I understand that Congress must understand what a de-escalation tool is. I think we need tools to calm down. So let’s try to use everything that is at our disposal, our full arsenal of political tools so that within politics we can build a path to lowering the temperature and so that we can spend energy on what is important for the country.