Bolsonaro Makes Radical Announcement, May Change Political Party Affiliation

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The President said to a supporter who identified himself as a pre-candidate for the same party: “Forget PSL”.

The president of PSL, federal deputy Luciano Bivar, said on Wednesday, October 9th, that he considers President Jair Bolsonaro has already decided to leave the party.

“When he tells a stranger to forget PSL, it shows that he himself has already forgotten it. It shows that he no longer has any relationship with  PSL,” said the party leader to the ‘Broadcast Político’ of [newspaper] Estado de S. Paulo.

The president, according to Estado, is considering leaving the party. It would be the ninth change of political party for Bolsonaro.

According to Bivar, the president’s purpose when attacking the PSL is to prove that he has no involvement in allegations of irregularities surrounding the candidacy of women who have been used as “paper candidates” to obtain public funds.

Another factor pointed out by the PSL president to justify Bolsonaro’s attack on the party would be a political tactic by the president to ensure his re-election.

According to Estado, the reason for his discontent is the Bolsonaro family’s difficulty in controlling the party and its regional directories, which do not accept the group’s names being enforced.

Although he has not yet defined his fate, Bolsonaro is assessing a number of political scenarios and desires a party he can control to boost his candidacy for re-election in 2022.

On Monday, October 7th, Bolsonaro demanded that Bivar take command of the PSL. He said that if the situation persisted as it is, he would leave the party. Bivar refused the ultimatum.

Bolsonaro’s statement comes to light at a time when centralist parties are working around the possible candidacy of TV host Luciano Huck for the presidency.

Radicalization of discourse

President Jair Bolsonaro has once again radicalized his public discourse, in an attempt to shield the government and avoid undermining its image with suspicions of corruption involving advisors.

To prevent an upsurge in rejection, he has embraced a strategy that has become common practice in his administration. In times of criticism, the Planalto raises the tone in an attempt to mitigate the impact of negative news.

In this response, the government also seeks to furnish its electoral base with the means to continue advocating for Bolsonaro’s administration.

The latest Datafolha poll, released in September, showed that the disapproval of the government has increased in recent months even in groups that were sympathetic to the administration, such as wealthier voters and residents of the southern region of Brazil.

The radicalization strategy had already been embraced in July, when the president raised the tone after being criticized for the appointment of one of his sons, Federal Deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro, to the position of ambassador to the United States.

Spokesman says Bolsonaro will not leave PSL of his own free will

Otávio Rêgo Barros, the spokesman for the Palácio do Planalto, said yesterday, October 9th, that President Jair Bolsonaro does not intend to leave the PSL for the time being. In the afternoon, Bolsonaro met with at least 15 party deputies to discuss the current situation.

According to the spokesman, the president seeks to preserve his campaign commitments and he hopes that PSL will meet the ideals upheld by the president during the elections.

Earlier, electoral lawyer Karina Kufa, who represents Bolsonaro, said that the relationship between the president and  PSL’s national leaders has been undermined. In her opinion, the party is no longer transparent.

She and the former Minister of the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) Admar Gonzaga also attended Bolsonaro’s meeting with PSL legislators and are looking into ways in which federal and state deputies may leave their party ranks without being penalized by disqualification for having switched to another political party than the one which elected them.

In the case of the president and other PSL members in executive positions (governor, mayor), a party change during the mandate is not banned by law.

Sources Estadão Conteúdo, Folhapress, Agência Brasil