Brazil: PSDB and União Brasil parties announce the formation of a slate in São Paulo

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The PSDB and União Brasil (UB) formalized yesterday the slate of vice-governor Rodrigo Garcia (PSDB) for the government of São Paulo with presenter José Luiz Datena (UB) candidate for a Senate seat in this year’s election.

“We, from PSDB and União Brasil, promote and support the Rodrigo Garcia governor and Datena senator coalition in the 2022 elections in October,” says the statement signed by the presidents of the national directories Bruno Araújo (PSDB) and Luciano Bivar (União Brasil) and the national directories Marco Vinholi (PSDB) and Antonio Rueda (UB).

According to the statement, the two parties “share the same principles, conjugate the same ideals,” and the vice-governor Rodrigo Garcia “is new, but not a rookie”.

According to the statement, “Datena has the necessary indignation and sensibility to defend São Paulo’s interests in the Federal Senate”.

In Wednesday’s (March 23) edition of Valor, Datena said in an interview that he would decide his political destiny by the end of this week. He said he had received invitations to run for senator in Garcia’s and Tarcisio’s tickets.

And that he was also invited by PDT’s national president, Carlos Lupi, to be the vice-president in the future slate of the former governor of Ceará, Ciro Gomes (PDT), or even to be the candidate for governor of the legend in São Paulo.

“They decided to anticipate the announcement [of the candidacies for governor and senator]. As the other conversations didn’t go ahead,” said Datena, about the other invitations he received to enter politics by running for elective office.

For now, the arrangement of political forces around Rodrigo Garcia’s ticket has the official support of União Brasil. MDB and Cidadania had already declared their support – PSDB and Cidadania are linked through a party federation formalized in February.

PL and PP have given signs that they will join the coalition headed by PSDB in the dispute for the government of São Paulo. Solidarity is also in advanced negotiations to support Garcia.

So far, the PSDB’s pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic is governor João Doria, who intends to leave office on March 31 to formalize his candidacy.