Former congressman Roberto Jefferson registers his candidacy for presidential elections in Brazil

Roberto Jefferson, the former president of the Brazilian Labor Party PTB, registered his candidacy for President of the Republic yesterday (12) at the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). The candidate for vice president will be Father Kelmon (Padre Kelmon), who belongs to the same party.

Despite the name suggesting a left-leaning unionist labor party, the party has recently shown strong support for the government of Jair Bolsonaro, presenting policies from a more conservative and religious angle.

In the government proposal sent to the TSE, the duo defends freedom as a fundamental principle, the right to self-defense, the right to carry a firearm, the criminalization of “Christophobia”, the aggravation of pedophilia as a heinous crime, and the prohibition of the legalization, sale, and cultivation of marijuana.

On education, the candidates advocate for adequate pay for teachers, free higher education but to be paid for by graduates, and elimination of illiteracy.

They propose rational use of natural resources and a balance between economic development and conservation of the environment.

The TSE has received 11 applications to register candidacy for president. For the offices of state deputy, federal deputy, district deputy, senator, and governor, registration is done at the regional election courts.

The application for registration is a necessary formality so that the election judge can verify whether candidates are subject to legal restrictions and cannot run in the October elections.

On August 13, 2021, Jefferson was arrested in a highly mediatized case involving the controversial charge of attacking democracy. Since January 24, 2022, Roberto Jefferson has been under house arrest.

With information from Agencia Brasil