Patriota party may launch Pazuello for governor of Rio de Janeiro with Bolsonaro support

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – With the potential affiliation of President Jair Bolsonaro to the Patriota party, it is considering appointing ex-Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello to run for governor of Rio de Janeiro in the 2022 election, on a slate supporting Bolsonaro.

On Tuesday, June 1, the president was officially invited to join the coalition by Adilson Barroso, the party leader. During the meeting, the prospect of Pazuello’s candidacy began to be discussed, with the aim of building a “100% Bolsonarist” alliance in the state.

Also on Tuesday, Pazuello was honored by Bolsonaro. The ex-minister was appointed secretary of Strategic Affairs by the president of the Republic. In addition, Bolsonaro called for Pazuello to be applauded at an event at the Ministry of Health, which marked the signing of a technology transfer agreement with AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company for the domestic production of the raw material needed to manufacture the vaccine developed by the company together with Oxford University.

In recent months, Bolsonaro has signaled a rapprochement with the current governor of Rio, Claudio Castro (PL), who will seek reelection. Bolsonaro also attended the ceremony of Castro’s affiliation to the PL last week. However, behind the scenes, the president’s allies have always said that he is still undecided about the alliance.

Castro was former governor Wilson Witzel’s (PSC) deputy. The ex-federal judge was impeached for suspected corruption. Witzel is a former ally of Bolsonaro. The two parted ways after the ex-governor publicly declared his intention to run for President next year.

Pazuello, an Army general still on active duty, is considered one of Bolsonaro’s most loyal allies. The ex-Health Minister testified at the Senate’s Covid CPI. He attended the committee on two days protected by a habeas corpus that guaranteed his right to silence to avoid incriminating himself. Senators believe that the army officer used the legal instrument to lie in an attempt to obstruct the investigation.

Pazuello and Bolsonaro were last seen in public on May 23, in Rio de Janeiro, on top of a sound-car where both gave speeches to supporters participating in a motorcycle caravan. Neither wore masks while prompting a crowd. Army regulations ban the participation of military personnel in political rallies.

In addition to Pazuello, the Patriota party intends to launch another army general to run for the Senate in Rio on the same slate as Bolsonaro and the ex-minister. In 2022, there will be only one senate vacancy in the state.

Castro, in turn, has done everything in his power to ensure that the alliance with the president can materialize. The governor has appointed Bolsonarists to key positions. In the recent change of secretaries, for instance, Castro did not switch the Civil Police and State Police secretaries, whose nominees were endorsed by the Bolsonaro clan.

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