The governor of Sao Paulo state, Tarcisio de Freitas (Republicans), defended the tightening of laws to combat crime, and said that he did not consider “any absurdity” in discussing the institution of life imprisonment in Brazil. During an event held by XP Asset Management on Thursday, the politician detailed his vision on the economy, relations with Congress and public security, among other issues, amid uncertainty over which name will take over the right to face Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) next year.
- After criticism: Eduardo Bolsonaro admits he can support Tarcisio de Freitas as a candidate against Lula
- Tarcísio’s campaign promise, the auction has been postponed for the government’s change of position and should be until 2026
– The change in legislation is welcome. it’s necessary. I support some changes that may be radical. May we truly begin to confront crime with the cruelty it deserves to confront. “I don’t think, for example, that there is any absurdity in a life sentence in Brazil,” the governor said.
The country’s current constitution prohibits life imprisonment, with Article 5, Section 47B stating, “There shall be no life sentences.” Currently, the maximum period for which a person can be deprived of their liberty in Brazil is 40 years.
In this event, Tarcisio cited the case of El Salvador as an example to be studied, where its president, Nayib Bukele, declared war on criminal organizations. This policy significantly reduced the number of violent crimes in the country, putting an end to the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18 gangs (which controlled parts of the country), at the cost of an exceptional regime that arrested some 83,000 people without a court order and under intense criticism from international human rights organizations.
-I think we should take the opportunity to review what we are doing. Hardly a comparison, let’s see what Bukele did in El Salvador. What was and what is – highlighted.
At the same event, Tarcisio said that the right-wing candidate for the 2026 elections should be determined at the beginning of next year.
-I think we will know at the beginning of next year (who will be the candidate). What I said this week is that we have no reason to worry, we have to be a little calm. The market is really worried, isn’t it? The market likes to price everything so quickly and how things fluctuate, the governor said.
Tarcisio, currently the main candidate for the right-wing candidate, stated that Jair Bolsonaro, who was arrested by decision of the STF, is the “great leader” of the conservative camp and will have a “relevant role” in determining the candidacy.
—We have some actors, some positions to organize. We have great leadership on the right that is going through a process of isolation, and it’s a complicated process. We have to help this great leadership, which is President Bolsonaro, who will play an important role in this preparation. But I am sure that, since we have very prepared people, we have good proposals and, more than that, a good project, we will be able to organize this team. What does Brazil ultimately need? Project — said Tarcísio.
The governor stated that even if the Workers’ Party wins next year’s elections, it will need to implement deep reforms otherwise “Brazil will go bankrupt.” He also assessed that the party would not be willing to propose the necessary reforms because they would end up “attacking the electoral base.”
The governor stated that the economic agenda to avoid “collapse” would be similar to the measures adopted by the former Minister of Economy in Bolsonaro’s government, Paulo Guedes.
Paulo Guedes talked a lot about these elements, and they are the key to success here. “D” for deregulation, “D” for digitization, “D” for decoupling, “D” for de-indexing, “D” for disinvestment, you see it’s all “D”. Therefore, when you apply this series of “D”, you solve the problem – said the governor.
The National Conference was also mentioned during the Governor’s speeches. He estimated that the composition of the legislature was “of a liberal character” and “quite reformist, in order to present an interesting project for Brazil.”
The governor said that few presidents have the ability to make Congress a “partner in achievement” and described Lula’s current relationship with the legislature as “the confusion we are experiencing today.”