Bolsonaro tries to attract businessmen with ‘rhetorical of fear’ against Lula

Less than two weeks after suspending meetings with businessmen amid the pro-democracy demonstrations, President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) seeks support from the segment with attacks on former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in the economic area and trying to cheat on his rival. the image of someone who will lead the country into crisis.

At lunch on Tuesday (23), Bolsonaro said that the opponent will not be a “Lulinha peace and love” in a new term and can transform the country into a new Venezuela. The rhetoric was used in front of an audience of approximately 40 members of the Esfera group, which brings together entrepreneurs from different sectors.

On the occasion, Bolsonaro sought to contrast criticism of his opponent with optimism about the economic scenario linked to measures taken by his government. According to reports, the president said that fuel and cooking gas prices will fall further in the next 40 days.

Present at the meeting were, for example, Flávio Rocha, owner of Riachuelo; André Esteves, president of BTG; Luiz Carlos Trabuco, former president of Bradesco; and Isaac Sidney, president of Febraban (Brazilian Federation of Banks).

The event had two moments: a private one, with about ten people, and a larger one, with the others. In one of his speeches, reported privately to the Sheet by participants, Bolsonaro asked businessmen to understand what was happening in neighboring countries Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia and Chile.

With the exception of the Venezuelan case (a dictatorship, without alternation of power), left-aligned presidents have recently returned to command these countries. Neighboring nations are also going through economic crises – and Bolsonarism uses this as an illustration for what could happen in Brazil in the event of a PT victory.

“Is that what you want?” Bolsonaro asked. “Think about it. The Lula who is returning is not the ‘Lulinha paz e amor'”, he said.

The term “Lulinha peace and love” is a reference to the more moderate stance that PT adopted in 2002 to reduce financial market resistance and expand the range of traditional political alliances. The strategy took the PT to the Planalto Palace after three defeats. Now, 20 years later, he is running for the same position against Bolsonaro.

Proving optimistic and calm, according to those present, the chief executive said that internal research would show him behind the PT within the margin of error.

To try to win over businessmen, the president also took three of his main ministers —Paulo Guedes (Economy), Fábio Faria (Communications) and Ciro Nogueira (Civil House).

One of the main articulators of the government in Congress and leader of the centrão, Ciro Nogueira suggested that a return of Lula could lead the PT to negotiate with parliamentarians in search of support – while Bolsonaro would already have a base formed.

Nogueira calculated that the left should elect 150 of the 513 deputies, while the rest should have a pro-government profile. “Some might say ‘this base will be co-opted’ [se o PT ganhar]. Co-opted how? Delivering state-owned, closed-door ministries, as we saw in the past. I think that would be a very big setback,” he said.

“We need a political base and today we have that base”. He stated that, today, Brazil lives a presidential regime with a “totally parliamentary” Constitution.

The minister was an ally of PT governments in the past and took over Bolsonaro’s most important portfolio in 2021. His arrival at the Planalto sealed the president’s alliance with the centrão, which he criticized so much in 2018.

The lunch of Bolsonaro and ministers with businessmen would initially be a dinner on the same day as the manifesto for democracy made this month.

The letter in defense of the democratic rule of law was signed by names such as bankers Roberto Setubal and Pedro Moreira Salles and read at USP (University of São Paulo) in a civil society act, on the 11th.

The meeting ended up being postponed after the campaign understood that the risk to the image of the Chief Executive could be even greater with the agenda maintained. The meeting of the Esfera group takes place six weeks before the electoral dispute. According to the latest Datafolha, Bolsonaro has advanced, but remains 15 points behind Lula in voting intentions.

At the end of the event, host João Camargo, president of the Esfera group, made amends to two targets of the Federal Police operation against Bolsonaristas on the same day – also criticized by Bolsonaro at the meeting, as shown in the Mônica Bergamo column.

When praising José Isaac Peres, from the Multiplan shopping chain, Meyer Nigri, from Tecnisa, supporters of the president, Camargo drew applause from those present.