‘I prefer to look at the glass half full on both sides of the leading candidates’, says André Esteves, from BTG Pactual

The senior partner of BTG Pactual, André Esteves, assesses that there are positive aspects to be considered in relation to the two main candidates ahead in the polls of intention to vote for the country’s presidential elections in 2022.

“When you look at 2002, the market, business, establishment, media perspective was that of a certain Lula. When he sat in the chair, we have a totally palatable Lula, who made a great first government. be a sign for us”, said Esteves this Wednesday (23), during an event promoted by the bank.

“On Bolsonaro’s side, there are many confusions, many statements, sometimes inappropriate, but we have a government that is moving forward. With all our frustration of being able to do more, and the ambition to want more, but we evolve in a reformist agenda, has a political base, has a reasonably functional government conversation, has good cadres, Minister Tereza [Cristina]Minister Tarcisio [Freitas], Minister Fábio Faria, Minister Paulo Guedes. They are cadres that could be in any Brazilian government, they are cadres of the center, sensible and cadres that deliver”, said the partner at BTG Pactual, who will have his name nominated for the presidency of the bank’s board of directors in April.

“I prefer to look at the glass half full on both sides of the leading candidates.”

In any case, the banker also said that it is necessary to learn from the mistakes of the past so that they do not happen again.

“We should not vote for those who do not understand Brazil’s institutional evolution and for those who do not love Brazil and do not understand what went right and went wrong from an economic point of view. This is not such a difficult diagnosis to make. look at the neighbourhood, look down and see Argentina and clearly understand what doesn’t work. It would be a gross mistake to insist on certain paths in that direction”, stated Esteves.

“On the other hand, eras of institutional hobbyhorses also seem to be behind us. Anything along these lines is also doomed to failure and is doomed to be billed as adventure,” said the partner at BTG Pactual.

“Rhetoric is part of politics, passions are part of politics, but I hope that this election will consolidate a Brazil that is institutionally more mature and economically more mature,” said Esteves.

“I believe in the Brazilian institutional evolution and, including that, the evolution of those who are in real condition to get there. I think there’s a lot of smoke in the mirror, but, to be honest, I think we’re going to have normal elections.”

Esteves stated that he sees the parties that make up the bloc known as centrão with a “historical importance” greater than what peers usually attribute to them.

“This Brazilian center, if we look at 100 years of republican history, it is what kept us republicans. Whenever Brazil flirted with madness on the left and right, it was this center that left the earth wire connected. Brazil already wanted to be integralist, communist , fascist, and this center, this political jelly that we call the center, at the time kept us republicans and on an acceptable course.”