After Criticizing Bolsonaro, Rio’s Governor Loses Support in Legislative Assembly

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The largest party in the Rio State Legislative Assembly (ALERJ) with 12 deputies, PSL (President Bolsonaro’s Party) announced on Monday, September 16th, its disassociation from Wilson Witzel‘s government base.

The party ticket, commanded in Rio by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, was the main support of the governor, who was elected on Bolsonaro’s coattails. The disagreement arose precisely because Witzel criticized President Jair Bolsonaro in an interview with GloboNews and stated that he intends to run for the presidency.

The order was given by Flávio after the interview, in which Witzel also denied that his electoral victory was due to the Bolsonarist wave. He held one percent of voting intentions at the start of the election period, according to leading research institutes.

The PSL bench was already dissatisfied with the governor, who has been trying to get rid of the PSL for a few months in order to take a position for a potential dispute against Bolsonaro. This was due both to the distribution of positions in the government and to the reluctance to support the pre-candidacy of state deputy Rodrigo Amorim, who is a member of the president’s party, for the Rio mayoralty.

PSL deputies will be forced to abandon the positions they hold in the Witzel administration, which also includes the government’s vice-leadership in ALERJ, currently held by Alexandre Knoploch – who publicly criticized the governor’s political stance while being his representative in the Chamber. To the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, he said in August that Witzel should “show character” and support PSL in the municipal election.

The PSL benches met on Monday when they decided on withdrawal of support for the administration. A note signed by the party leader in the Assembly, Dr. Serginho, states that the withdrawal from the Witzel base occurs “because he disagrees with the governor’s political positions. The party’s 12 deputies reiterate their commitment to the state of Rio de Janeiro.”

Source: Estadão Conteúdo