São Paulo governor reaffirms support for Bolsonaro and foresees a challenging scenario for Lula

The conservative governor of the all-important and influential São Paulo state, Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas (Republicans), criticized President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT, progressive-globalist) for not “delivering what Brazil expected” and not “taking advantage of the windows of opportunity” opened for the country with the reallocation of global production chains.

In an interview with Veja published this weekend, he also pointed out that these and other mistakes of the government “stuck to the past” favor the influence of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL, right) in the political game.

Despite undergoing several surgeries to treat kidney stones, Bolsonaro’s former minister keeps up his work routine and does not neglect his political agenda.

Freitas even informs that he will receive the former president in Ribeirão Preto (SP) during an event at the beginning of May.

Embracing the Bolsonarist label, he took advantage of the interview to highlight his friendship and gratitude to the former president, besides defending the achievements of his administration. “I am liberal; I believe in the search for private initiative,” he stressed.

Freitas credited his electoral success to the former president, who bet on a technician’s name as a candidate for the Bandeirantes Palace in the last election. Hend says he trusts in his prominent role as an exemplary leader.

“All presidents who have left power have had a period of reflection and silence. But Bolsonaro’s figure is powerful,” he noted.

And as for the risk of Bolsonaro becoming ineligible and nominating the governor to run for president, he said he trusts the judiciary and the captain’s proof of innocence.

Still on the electoral scenario for 2026, in which he is always seen as a potential right-wing candidate for the Planalto, Freitas says he is focused only on state management and that “many things will be consolidated in the long term.”

But he said that Lula and his allies “haven’t shown what they are here for yet.”

For him, the PT party hasn’t shown society and investors “how it will seek development, the reduction of inequality, economic growth, etc., and the reduction of inflation.”

The governor also foresees difficulties for the government to approve measures of its interest, especially proposals for constitutional and other structural amendments, in the face of a “more autonomous” Congress that has “conquered its space”.

“They reissued old programs and distributed 37 ministries without managing to form a strong base in Congress,” he observed.

GOVERNOR DENIES HAVING DISAPPOINTED CONSERVATIVE AUDIENCES

The governor credits his high approval ratings after 100 days in office to his 3D trinity of development, dignity, and dialogue. “This brings hope in well-driving people, regardless of the party line, ideological line,” he said.

He assessed that the free distribution of cannabidiol, also known as medical marijuana, did not affect his relationship with the conservative public that elected him.

For him, it is clear that the measure benefits people with multiple sclerosis, among other cases, and has “nothing to do” with the issue of drugs.

He recalled that he has consistently defended, for example, the non-mandatory nature of the increasingly controversial Covid vaccine.

In defending privatization as his strategy to seek efficiency in public services and attract investment, he again bet on the sale of the Port of Santos as a redemptive project.

“The federal government excluded some companies from the concessions and privatization program, and the Port of Santos is not on the list. I interpret that the door is still open,” he said.

For him, the most significant resistance at the federal level is not in Lula but in the Minister of Ports and Airports, Márcio França (PSB).

Freitas also expects that the privatization of Sabesp will help mobilize a lot of capital quickly, taking sanitation to places it has not yet reached.

Regarding the growing concern about safety, especially in schools, the governor said he is structurally addressing the issue.

“We are going to take care of mental health, with the hiring of psychologists to assist students and education professionals. We are also going to hire private security with unarmed guards.”

“The school has to be a place of joy, of children’s noise. It will not be a place of fear, not with metal detectors. But it will have more security”, he detailed.