Aligned With Bolsonaro, Rio Mayor Crivella Seeks Re-election Now, Senate Seat in 2022

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The deadlock in the return to classes in private schools in Rio de Janeiro is reflected in Mayor Marcelo Crivella’s electoral agenda. While he authorized the return of students to school on August 3rd, Governor Wilson Witzel vetoed the measure by decree at least until August 5th, with the deadline still open for an extension.

Crivella has been trying to please President Jair Bolsonaro, who favors easing the restrictions on the fight against the novel coronavirus and to have his support for reelection. However, Crivella noted that, in addition to his desire to remain in his current position, the Mayor dreams of 2022. Whether or not he will win the municipal elections in the capital, Crivella plans to run for the Senate once again.

Internal polls of pre-candidates to head Rio’s City Hall show that the Jair Bolsonaro administration holds around 35 percent of excellent or good voter ratings in Rio. Behind the scenes, people close to Crivella believe his chances of reaching the second round increase if he captures part of the President’s supporters’ votes, in addition to the faithful slice of evangelicals – the Mayor is a licensed bishop of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God – as well as voters benefited by the city’s machinery, with infrastructure works in the neighborhoods, for instance. Hence, if re-elected, Crivella would plan to serve only two years of his second term as Mayor.

Crivella’s search for a seat in the Senate is still discreet. The priority is to find a running mate in his party that pleases Jair Bolsonaro and the Bolsonarist constituency. Crivella wants a name with a military career and administrative experience.

In an attempt to please the President, Crivella is striving to ease social isolation amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The return to school is but one of his decisions designed to appease the Bolsonario clan. The Mayor has already permitted soccer matches, reopened trade, and even suggested arming the Municipal Guard even though this is forbidden in the city’s Organic Law.

In 2022, each state will be entitled to one new Senate seat and not two, as occurred in 2018, when Flávio Bolsonaro, Jair Bolsonaro’s eldest son, and Arolde de Oliveira were elected. A Senator’s term runs for eight years. Thus, Flávio and Arolde remain in office until 2026. Elected in 2014, the other Rio Senator is former soccer star Romário, who may not be a candidate for reelection, which contributes to Crivella’s project of not losing his mandate. An ally of the Mayor, entitled to appoint allies in municipal management positions, Romario is considering running for federal deputy.

Crivella was elected senator for the first time in 2002, with 3,243,289 votes, by the then Liberal Party (PL). He came in second, but there were two seats available. Now disgraced Rio former Governor Sérgio Cabral (Brazilian Democratic Movement – PMDB) won with 4,187,286 votes. In 2010, Crivella, in the PRB (Brazilian Republican Party), achieved reelection with 3,332,886 votes. Lindbergh Farias (Worker’s Party – PT), got 4,213,749 – first place.

Throughout these years, Crivella has always been involved in the electoral scene. In 2006, he ran for state governor; and in 2008 he ran for Mayor. He lost both times. In 2012, he took over the Ministry of Fisheries in the Dilma Rousseff administration. Throughout his career, he has had the support of ex-president Lula.

Now, Crivella is fighting Governor Wilson Witzel in the resumption of activities. There is no dialogue between the two officials. A Supreme Court ruling grants autonomy to Mayors and Governors to determine measures to tackle the coronavirus. Formerly allies, Witzel is now one of Jair Bolsonaro’s main opponents.

The Governor’s aides on Thursday denied that the decree published by Witzel vetoing the return to school was intended to thwart Crivella. The Governor is the target of impeachment proceedings in the Legislative Assembly of Rio (ALERJ) and is under investigation for corruption in the health area.

On Thursday, an operation by the state Prosecutor’s Office and the Civil Police arrested suspects in an investigation into contracts in Crivella’s administration and that of former Mayor Eduardo Paes, who will again dispute Rio’s Mayoralty this year. The agreements were signed with the Institute of Basic and Advanced Health Care (IABAS). According to the task force, IABAS received R$4.3 billion (US$860 million) from the city government between 2009 and 2019 that was unaccounted for. Of this total, the prosecutors believe that R$6.5 million were embezzled from the public coffers.

Source: Veja