BRASILIA, July 31 - Brazil's Progressives Party, counted among the country's largest right-wing formations, declared on Friday it will not endorse any candidate in October's presidential election. The party's neutral stance represents a notable setback for Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who has emerged as the leading conservative candidate in opinion polls and had sought to name a member of the Progressives as his running mate.
Earlier on Friday in S e3o Paulo, Senator Bolsonaro told reporters that Tereza Cristina had accepted his invitation to be his vice-presidential running mate. However, the party-level decision to remain neutral would, if it stands, close the path for Cristina to formally join Bolsonaro's ticket.
Tereza Cristina commands strong support among rural voters and within Brazil's influential agribusiness caucus. Those constituencies were widely viewed as a strategic constituency that could have strengthened Bolsonaro's appeal, particularly given public polling that places him behind President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ahead of the October vote.
Mechanically, Cristina could only become Bolsonaro's running mate if her party moved to formally align with Bolsonaro's Liberal Party, PL. That procedural requirement is compounded by the fact that the deadline for changing party affiliation ahead of the October election has already passed.
The Progressives Party's announcement therefore raises an immediate barrier to the plan Bolsonaro outlined in public remarks on Friday, and it narrows one pathway he appeared to be pursuing to broaden his coalition and introduce a female candidate onto his slate.
Contextual notes
- The party's neutrality was stated on Friday and pertains to the presidential contest scheduled for October.
- Senator Flavio Bolsonaro is identified in polling as the strongest conservative contender.
- Tereza Cristina's support base includes rural voters and the agribusiness caucus, groups seen as politically significant.
Implications stated in reporting
The Progressives Party decision directly affects the feasibility of Tereza Cristina joining Bolsonaro's ticket because her party would need to realign with the Liberal Party to make her formal running mate, and the window for party changes has closed. The announcement also represents a political obstacle to Senator Bolsonaro's stated objective of broadening his support and adding a woman to his slate.