MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th September, 2021) The Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB) in Minas Gerais announced it would endorse Eduardo Leite, the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, at the primaries that precedes the nomination of candidate in the presidential race, the PSDB leader in Minas Gerais, Paulo Abi-Ackel, said.
"Selecting a candidate who will divide the centrist politicians, who will not manage to consolidate the 'center' makes no sense. Eduardo Leite is the one who has best qualities to contribute," Abi-Ackel, who is also a Federal lawmaker, said.
In July, Leite announced he was gay, which was celebrated by the LGBTQ community, while some people remembered how Leite supported President Jair Bolsonaro in 2018 despite his strong homophobic rhetoric. After the revelation, Bolsonaro intensified his jabs against homosexuals and Leite in particular.
Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria announced in April that he would seek to win the PSDB nomination for presidency. The PSDB primaries are scheduled for November 21. Brazil's political landscape is increasingly split between the right and left, the experts say, which may pose a problem for a centrist candidate from the PSDB.
Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who regained his political rights in March this year after his corruption conviction was overturned, is a top ranked candidate, enjoying the support of 40% of the respondents, according to mid-August polls. Bolsonaro lags behind with 24% of support, which continues dropping over the president's entanglement in multiple investigations into his conduct. The general election in Brazil is scheduled for October 2, 2022.
