Pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) is said to have influenced progressive leaders (PP) to make public their dissatisfaction with the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans).
Amid electoral articulations for 2026, the PP has positioned itself as a possible competitor to Tarcísio in the São Paulo elections, aiming for an alternative platform for Flávio in São Paulo.
In an interview with Bolsonaro blogger Paulo Figueiredo, the senator said on Tuesday (6/1) that he spoke with Tarcísio over Christmas and that their relationship would be “good.”
However, Flávio’s allies and PP members told the Metropolises that there is an influence of the son 01 of former president Jair Bolsonaro in the deterioration of relations between the party leadership and the governor of São Paulo. Contacted by the report, Flávio had no comment.
“Lack of attention”
On December 28, the PP issued a statement in which it expressed “the lack of attention to parliamentarians” and the “distance between members of the current state government and the leadership of the progressive party, both at the national and state level.”
The demonstration opens the possibility for the party to launch candidacies for the government of São Paulo, even if Tarcísio runs for office. Possible candidates to compete with Tarcísio for the PP began to be discussed in the week following the party’s statement.
Among the names announced are former governor Rodrigo Garcia and deputy and former Bolsonaro minister Ricardo Salles (Novo-SP). There are also investigations into Filipe Sabará, who coordinated Pablo Marçal’s (PRTB) campaign for São Paulo mayor and was Flávio’s link to the São Paulo business community.
Sabará confirmed that he had been consulted by the PP on his candidacy, saying that he felt “flattered by the invitation”, but that his “priority now is to support Flávio Bolsonaro to be elected president”.
“Strained relationship”
Federal deputy Fausto Pinato (PP-SP) said he was not speaking to Bolsonaro supporters, but was aware of the “tense relationship” between Bolsonaro’s children and Tarcísio.
“We also see a great distrust of the Bolsonaro clan. The criticisms of Eduardo (Bolsonaro) himself clearly show that there is unease, a distrust between the Bolsonaro family and the governor of the state,” said Pinato.
The parliamentarian believes that the PP is capable of offering Flávio a more secure platform. According to him, the party’s national president, Senator Ciro Nogueira (PP-PI), showed loyalty to Tarcísio, but it was not reciprocated.
The parliamentarian also points out that the governor’s relationship with Gilberto Kassab constitutes another point of uncertainty in Tarcísio’s support for Flávio. Secretary of the São Paulo government, Kassab is the national president of the PSD, a party that has two presidential pre-candidates as possible competitors to Bolsonaro’s son 01 – governors Eduardo Leite, of Rio Grande do Sul, and Ratinho Jr., of Paraná.
On the other hand, sources at the Palácio dos Bandeirantes say that one of the characteristics of Tarcísio’s mandate is not giving in to party pressure.
There is no consensus on the threat against Tarcísio
Within the PP, there is no consensus on the threat of presenting a candidate contrary to Tarcísio. The former Secretary of Public Security and federal deputy, Guilherme Derrite (PP-SP), for example, did not enter into the conflict.
Another São Paulo progressive, state deputy Delegado Olim (PP-SP), did not boycott Tarcísio’s re-election bid.
“If Tarcísio runs for governor, I will only support Tarcísio. If Tarcísio runs for president, I will support Derrite. If it is someone else, I will think about it,” said the parliamentarian.
Derrite’s departure from the São Paulo government is seen as a further loss of space for the PP in the management of São Paulo. The party lost another fight when the name of Ciro Nogueira was mentioned in the Civil House of Tarcísio, which preferred to keep Arthur Lima, a friend of the governor for 30 years, in power.
About The Author
