Businessman José Seripieri Filho, founder of Qualicorp and owner of QSaúde, was one of the businessmen present at the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). A personal friend of Lula, Seripieri owns the jet used by the PT member to travel to Egypt, to COP27, and to Portugal in November.
Also present were the chairman of Bradesco’s board of directors, Luiz Carlos Trabuco, and the directors of several business entities, such as Isaac Sidney Ferreira, from Febraban (Brazilian Federation of Banks), Robson Braga, from CNI (National Confederation of Industry), and Clésio Andrade, from the CNT (National Transport Confederation).
Trabuco declared himself optimistic about the new administration in the economy. “A new government is renewal and hope. This one is starting today and we are going to wait for the first measures”, stated Trabuco.
The Febraban representative, in turn, said that one of the entity’s priorities is to defend a tax reform that makes the system less expensive and complex.
“We will continue working so that there is no increase in the cost of credit,” he said.
Ferreira stated that the first statements by the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad (PT), indicate that the new government will strive to promote fiscal balance.
“I don’t see any other direction other than the control of public accounts, and he [Haddad] sends the message that it will control spending.”
A good part of the business sector was resistant to the PT and preferred a third way as an alternative to former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and Lula. The party’s rapprochement with businessmen was intensified in the second half of 2022.
There were dinners with businessmen who are references and helped strengthen Lula’s image in the productive sector, such as Abilio Diniz, chairman of the board of directors of Península Participações and member of the boards of Grupo Carrefour and Carrefour Brasil.
Some events to strengthen relations with the business community were also organized by the Esfera group, a think tank created with the proposal to promote dialogue between companies and governments, and which has BTG, Cosan, MRV Engenharia and Hapvida as partners.
Former allies of Bolsonarism even participated, such as Flavio Rocha, controller of Riachuelo, and Eugênio Mattar, founding partner of Localiza, brother of former Secretary of Privatization, Salim Mattar. Presences like this signaled that the resistance of some sectors to the PT could be overcome.
Attracting important names from the business area to support the government is also part of the strategy to strengthen the new Council for Economic and Social Development, known as the Conselhão. Launched in the first Lula government, the group brought together different sectors, such as businessmen and unionists, to discuss and suggest measures for development, and will be reconstituted in Lula 3.
The task of formatting this new Council was handed over to the Secretary of Institutional Relations, Alexandre Padilha, who during the campaign acted in articulation to strengthen Lula’s relations with São Paulo businessmen.
As part of Lula’s proposal for the economy in his third term is to develop public policies to promote the reindustrialization of Brazil, Lula tried to put a businessman in charge of the MDIC (Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade). However, it was not successful.
Initially, he invited Josué Gomes, who heads the textile group Coteminas and is president of Fiesp (Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo). However, he declined, claiming he had no way of walking away from his company at the moment. Josué is the son of José Alencar, who was Lula’s deputy in 2002 and died in 2011.
Lula also offered the post to Pedro Wongtschowski, chairman of the board of directors of the Ultra group, which operates in energy and health. The businessman, who supported Simone Tebet (MDB-MS) in the first round, also claimed difficulties in moving away from business.
The folder, then, was under the command of vice-president Geraldo Alckmin.
I have over 10 years of experience working in the news industry. I have worked for several different news organizations, including a large news website like News Bulletin 247. I am an expert in the field of economics and have written several books on the subject. I am a highly skilled writer and editor, and have a strong knowledge of social media. I am a highly respected member of the news industry, and my work has been featured in many major publications.
