Most state leaders of Brazil’s Progressives party (PP) have rejected the idea of endorsing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the Liberal Party’s (PL) presidential candidate, by naming Senator Tereza Cristina as his running mate, according to single-source reporting by CNN Brasil.
Regional party leaders told PP president Ciro Nogueira, a senator from Piauí, that they preferred to preserve the party’s neutrality in the national race. The consultations took place on Wednesday and Thursday, July 29 and 30.
A State-by-State Strategy
The leaders want the PP to remain independent, allowing its state organizations to form alliances with either the political right or left, depending on local interests. In Pernambuco, Paraíba and Maranhão, the party is seeking alignment with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his Workers’ Party (PT).
In Paraná and São Paulo, by contrast, the PP remains aligned with Flávio Bolsonaro. The arrangement reflects the fragmented nature of Brazilian coalition politics, in which parties often adopt different alliances in different states during the same national election.
Three PP leaders cited by CNN Brasil identified the party’s convention rules as another obstacle. The statute requires the national convention to be called through an official notice published at least eight days in advance. Waiving that requirement would require the consent of the entire party leadership, according to Representative Eduardo da Fonte of Pernambuco.
“I voted for neutrality and will not give it up. There is no longer time to call a national convention and, without unanimity in the party, there can be no convention. Therefore, there is no longer any chance of naming a vice president,” da Fonte told CNN Brasil.
Federation Complicates Choice
The PP also belongs to a formal federation with União Brasil, a political arrangement that requires the participating parties to coordinate their electoral decisions. Any alliance with Flávio Bolsonaro would therefore require support from members of União Brasil as well.
Tereza Cristina, who served as agriculture minister under former President Jair Bolsonaro, confirmed on Thursday that she had met Flávio the previous day to discuss the election. She said the possible ticket depended on political and personal evaluations, as well as consultations and agreements among the parties.
According to allies, Cristina had indicated that she would accept an invitation to become Flávio’s running mate. That signal encouraged his campaign, which is seeking alliances to avoid running with only the PL on the ticket. The party is also negotiating with the Republicans and Podemos.
The resistance inside the PP leaves Flávio’s campaign with limited time to secure a broader coalition. For now, however, the party’s regional leadership continues to favor neutrality, preserving its freedom to negotiate separately across Brazil’s states.