Panel SA: Declaration or pen will not end the work of institutions in the election, says businessman

The speeches of President Jair Bolsonaro against the polls are shocking but they should not compromise the electoral process or bring institutional rupture, in the opinion of businessman Eduardo Mufarej, founder of RenovaBR, a movement for the formation of political candidates.

“It is not a stroke of the pen or a declaration that will end the work of so many institutions involved in the elections. I follow the seriousness of the work of the electoral court”, says the businessman.

Mufarej, who was one of the biggest enthusiasts of Luciano Huck’s candidacy as a third way, until the presenter gave up a year ago, now supports Simone Tebet, but believes that, for the senator’s name to be able to accelerate in the polls, it will need unity. of the democratic center.

Regarding the signals for the economy that have already been given by the PT campaign, Mufarej assesses that they are not good. “His government had merits in some areas, but the interlocutors are the same ones who left disastrous traces for the country”, he says.

Bolsonaro again made statements against the Brazilian electoral system at the event with ambassadors last week. What a risk Mr. see it?These are shocking statements, but I do not believe they compromise our process and bring about some kind of institutional rupture.

It is not a stroke of a pen or a declaration that will end the work of so many institutions involved in the elections. I follow the seriousness of the work of the electoral court. We have a very high volume of candidacies at stake in the state majority and in federal and state legislative positions. In 2018 alone, there were more than 26,000 candidates eligible for the dispute. To reduce our electoral process only to the presidential race is to limit our way of thinking about Brazil.

In the business community, there are those who say that President Bolsonaro’s speeches against the polls are nonsense and that they have no harmful potential. Do you agree with this?I think that the attempt to weaken existing democratic institutions is a big problem.

Brazil is a young country, with entities that need strengthening, not the other way around. This process is far from being silly.

Mr. is one of the businessmen who are supporting the candidacy of senator Simone Tebet (MDB). Do you still think it’s possible to see her name go up in the polls? And how would that happen?I think it is possible, yes, but for that the characters who called themselves the democratic center need to unite.

The debate of ideas and the different possibilities of choice are fundamental, even beyond Simone Tebet, in these elections. The voter and Brazil deserve this.

What are the risks that Mr. see in an eventual candidacy of ex-president Lula? And what would those risks be in the case of Bolsonaro?Polarization dominated and impoverished the debate. Unfortunately, we abandoned plans or projects for the country. We return to the decisions of the moment guided by specific groups and interests. The last decade is one of absolute decline and we do not have the capacity to recognize this reality and propose ways forward. Time passed, society evolved, and the debate regressed.

Mr. Do you think that the arrival of PEC resources that expand social benefits has the potential to change the scenario and favor Bolsonaro?I see that yes. Low economic growth, felt by a large part of the population and with greater impact on the most vulnerable, opens space for political and electoral measures.

And how do you evaluate the signals sent by Lula’s campaign to the economy so far?The signs from an economic perspective are not good. His government had merits in some areas, but the interlocutors are the same ones who left disastrous traces for the country.

The moment demands repositioning with a look to the future and not to relive the dream of being a powerhouse of the 1990s.

Mr. Do you intend to participate in any new manifesto with other names of the business community in defense of democracy? What effect can this type of manifestation have at this time?With the support of thousands of Brazilians from all regions of the country, in 2018 we launched one of the largest training and democratic inclusion schools in the world, which has even served as inspiration for initiatives in countries as diverse as France and Costa Rica. Being on the side of democracy is not an option, it is the choice we made when we created Renova.

What perspectives does RenovaBR have, from the point of view of renewal in politics for this year’s elections?I am very optimistic about the renewal of staff and the qualification of political leadership in the long term. Renova’s institutional role is to provide conditions for people who have never participated in the political process to be able to get involved and qualify the debate.

More than 60,000 people enrolled, around 2,000 graduated and 176 were elected in the last four years.
The path will be long, like a marathon, however, we know that the more qualified names we have willing to work for the country and for the strengthening of our politics and democracy, the better for Brazil.

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Graduated in business administration from PUC-SP. He participated in the board of directors of Arezzo and Omega Energia. He was chairman of the board of directors of Somos Educação, and served as president of the company. He is the founder of the RenovaBR movement, the Estímulo 2020 project and the manager GK Ventures.