Enthusiastic third-way businessmen lamented the departure of João Doria from the presidential race, but saw the bottleneck as a chance to strengthen an alternative candidacy to Lula and Bolsonaro.
“It is a pity that the former governor was not able to make himself viable. He is a manager with important achievements in São Paulo and has a modern vision of the country. But if the resignation of his candidacy serves to concentrate moderate political forces around a name with qualities and that has the potential to be effectively competitive, this can be good news for the country”, says Eduardo Mufarej, founder of Renova BR, a political training school for candidates.
For businessman Horácio Lafer Piva, maybe it will make it easier, as it will bring focus, but there is still the challenge of making the name of the third way known. “Right now, Ciro, Lula and Bolsonaro receive most of what Doria would have. I respect João’s gesture and I hope that the supporters of the democratic center manage to design a strategy that quickly shows its viability”, he says.
Laercio Cosentino (Totvs) says that Doria was, “without a shadow of a doubt, an excellent option, but since politics is much more than a candidacy, a great negotiation, it needs to accommodate diverse interests in the search for votes”. The businessman says that it is still necessary to pursue an alternative that strengthens the third way “as an option so that the future of the nation is not a plebiscite between antagonism”.
For Luiz Fernando Furlan (BRF), who is chairman of Lide, Doria’s family company, the toucan made the decision to leave the candidacy aiming at the common good, the third way. “Giving in politics is not a trivial gesture, when you don’t receive anything in return, positions, benefits, etc. João acted with manliness and detachment, enduring pain and aiming for the common good”, says Furlan.
Another businessman close to Doria, Marcos Arbaitman, owner of the Maringá tourism group, says that Simone Tebet is a good person. “The others were disappearing, unfortunately, like Moro. Bivar, which has a force, has one more factor. Some PSDB deputies do not want the party to have a candidate because, if it does, the money the party has needs to be used in part for the presidency”, he says.
Businesswoman Rosangela Lyra, president of Associação Comercial Jardins e Itaim and founder of Instituto Política Viva, no longer believes in the strengthening of a name other than Lula and Bolsonaro. “What they did with Doria was pretty bad. They pulled the rug out from under the state government first, then the presidency,” she says. “Third way to 2026 will have my support. Let them start preparing now”, she says.
Joana Cunha with Andressa Motter and Paulo Ricardo Martins
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
