São Paulo’s governor, Tarcisio de Freitas (Republicans), must face the artillery of opponents against his administration on issues already explored today, ranging from tolls to Sabesp, the water supply company he privatized.
Tarcisio was under consideration for the presidency, but the opportunity was lost after Senator Flavio Bolsonaro (PL) announced that he should run for the office next year as chosen by former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
This increases the chances that the governor will be a candidate for re-election and will therefore be more responsible for local problems.
“Freitas fees”
One of the points that has caused the most trouble for Tarcisio is the mass installation of so-called “free-flow” tolls, which charge vehicles automatically. By the end of the year, it is expected that 37 such kiosks will be in operation.
The opposition took the opportunity to target Tarcisio, with leaflets and even animations created using artificial intelligence. For example, the then federal MP, now Minister of the Presidential Secretariat, Guilherme Boulos (PSOL), called the governor in his networks “Pedágio de Freitas”.
Actor Tabata Amaral (PSB) was also the one to explore the issue. “You can be charged for travel in the state of São Paulo without realizing it. The new toll system, called Free Flow, uses technology that can make our lives easier. But the way Governor Tarcicio is implementing it, it has become another headache,” he wrote on his social network.
The argument in defense of this equipment is that it achieves “toll fairness,” whereby fees are charged for each kilometer traveled. However, the term is much more complex than “high-end industry,” which the opposition is trying to impose on the Tarcisio administration.
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Sabsa on the horizon
Tarcísio considers the privatization of Sabesp one of the main topics of his administration. However, this is another topic where the arguments for – such as increasing sewer connections – are much less prevalent than those against.
One of the videos explored shows Tarcisio in an interview with TV Globo, where he promised that water bills would be cheaper after the privatization of SABISP.
However, 2026 will start with an adjustment in values of 6.11%, which, according to management, is equivalent to the inflation correction of the last 16 months, the period used as a reference since the company’s privatization.
The opposition leader in Alispe, Antonio Donato (PT), took the opportunity to attack the governor.
“You were deceived by Tarcísio. He said that the privatization of Sabesp would have no tariff adjustment. Governor Bolsonaro sold the company at a competitive price and is now allowing the profits of the new owners to increase,” Bestista posted on his networks.
In addition to paying more, residents also risk running out of water in an election year. The Cantarera system, the state’s main water supply reservoir, is at its lowest level in nearly 10 years. With just over 20% of the total available volume, Cantareira is responsible for supplying almost half of the population of the greater São Paulo area.
In light of this scenario, Sabisa Company has decided, since August 27, to reduce water pressure at night to reduce losses due to leaks, which occur mainly during the early hours of the morning. According to the company, the measure will be implemented from 7 pm to 5 am throughout the capital region. This is a preventive measure, with the aim of preserving the reservoirs that feed the region.
In some parts of the city, the drop in pressure amounts to a kind of rationing, because in practice, the supply ends up being cut off.
corruption
In the clash with the opposition, Tarcisio’s government was the target of criticism due to corruption issues that, somehow, leaked into the administration. The main operation is the one involving the $1 billion ICMS fraud, which was carried out by tax auditors from the Ministry of Finance (Sefaz).
The most sensitive point in this area is the plea agreement concluded by Inspector Artur Gomez da Silva Neto with the Public Ministry of São Paulo (MPSP), which is currently going through the stage of analysis of the evidence presented by the auditor.
Silva Neto was identified as the main operator of a tax fraud scheme that benefited retailers, such as Ultrafarma and Fastshop, in exchange for bribes worth R$1 billion.
The other point that burned the government was the issue that was revealed Capitalsas documents show that the current leadership of the Secretariat of Agriculture, led by Minister Guilherme Peay, acted to close an internal investigation into doubts in contracts worth R$ 50 million to renovate rural roads under the Melhor Caminho programme.
The contract problems occurred during the administration of former Governor Rodrigo Garcia (former PSDB) and have been denounced during the current administration. However, documents show that on the same day that former Agriculture Minister Antonio Junqueira announced his departure to Tarcisio, the current head of the administration initiated the movement that stopped investigations within the secretariat.
Opponents also accused the political group Tarcisio of trying to limit the authority of the Federal Police, which was investigating scandals in the São Paulo Police, in one of the versions of the Antifaction PL presented by Federal Representative Guilherme Dirit (PP), former Secretary of Public Security.
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Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, during the year-end review, in 2023
Francisco Cepeda/SP2 of 7 State Government
Tarcisio de Freitas and Jair Bolsonaro
Alan Santos / PR3 of 7
Tarcisio signs an agreement with President Lula and his Vice President Geraldo Alckmin
Ricardo Stockert / PR4 of 7
Tarcísio de Freitas starts Tatuzão in works on Line 2-Green of São Paulo Metro
Francisco Cepeda/Government SP5 of 7
Tarcisio and the mayor of the capital, Ricardo Nunes
Gildson de Souza / Sao Paulo City Hall 6 of 7
Tarcísio de Freitas, on B3, during the auction of the northern section of Rodoanel
Sao Paulo State Government 7 of 7
Tarcísio de Freitas participates in the March for Jesus in São Paulo
Fabio Vieira / Metropolis
Tarcisio influenza
The governor is also being criticized for statements made during interviews with journalists. In the midst of the crisis caused by methanol contamination of alcoholic beverages, he joked: “The day they start counterfeiting Coca-Cola, I will be worried.”
Tarcisio’s opponents compared this phrase to the positions of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) during the pandemic, such as when he said that the disease was a “little flu” and also when he imitated people who had no air.
Due to the repercussions of the sentence, Tarcisio took to the Internet to apologise. He recorded a video clip in which he said that he had “no obligation to make a mistake,” apologizing to the relatives of the victims and the merchants affected by the beverage adulteration crisis. But it’s something opponents should remember in an election year.
Another statement that affected Tarcisio was during September 7, when he described the Minister of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Alexandre de Moraes, as a dictator. The governor apologized to the Supreme Court minister, but the damage to his moderate image had already been done.
Last year, in a scenario where more than a hundred people were killed by police, the governor also raised his tone and was criticized for it.
“Honestly, we’re very quiet about what’s going on,” he said in early March. “And after that, people can go to the United Nations, the Justice League, anything they want, and I don’t care.”
At the end of the year, he demonstrated a more moderate stance and backed off his criticism of police cameras. He stated that equipment was a factor in police containment and that “we need containment.”