Arminio Fraga admits returning to government and having third way sympathy

Former president of the Central Bank (BC) Arminio Fraga said this Tuesday (30) that he would accept to return to the government, if he felt he had support to conduct an economic agenda compatible with liberal values ​​and combating inequality.

He claimed to have sympathy for a third way, without detailing, however, his preferred name to command Brazil from 2023.

He had commented earlier about the eventual return to government during a virtual panel organized by Latin Lawyer, in which he stated that Brazil has been a victim of bad policies and bad ideas. “I still have a lot to contribute”, he said, at the event.

Then he detailed his speech to sheet.

“I made it very clear [no fórum] who would eventually consider [voltar para Brasília], but that the batten gets higher with the passage of time”, says the economist, who is also a columnist for the sheet.

He adds that he would accept to participate in a project “compatible with their values ​​and beliefs” regarding what needs to happen for Brazil to find a direction, not just in the economy.

“In general terms, my thinking has a liberal basis, a concern with inequalities and the lack of opportunity. I see it as fundamental for Brazil to explore its green potential. In the economic area, it is necessary to get out of this vicious circle of crisis after crisis” , it says.

Although his name usually circulates at election time as a bet for the Ministry of Economy, Fraga says that he would not link a possible return to government with any specific position.

“When I was in government for the first time, I was 33 years old. It’s not something I have plans to do, but in a favorable situation for developing a project, I would consider it.”

Without naming names, he also said that he was contacted by various agents in the political sphere, including pre-candidates, and that he remains in a state of “concern and engagement”, given the current bad scenario of the Brazilian economy.

In the economist’s view, the ideal for Brazil would be for a good third way to become viable, although he does not want to single out a name among those that appear today as an option to former president Lula (PT) and to the current president, Jair Bolsonaro (without broken).

“I’m not going to comment on the options that are on the radar today, there are many and I don’t see any reason to go into that now,” he says.

He also claims that collaborating in campaigns is out of the question, although he does not rule out manifesting himself further on. “It would be healthy for Brazil to flee from a populist and polarized debate.”

Fraga, who is a partner at Gávea Investimentos, was president of the Central Bank between 1999 and January 2003, during the second term of Fernando Henrique Cardoso (PSDB).