Silveira targets Fuad in the 2nd round of BH and wants Lula on the stage

One of the most active federal government ministers in this year’s municipal elections, Alexandre Silveira (PSD) has a main goal in the election: to have the current mayor of Belo Horizonte in the 2nd round, Fuad Noman (PSD). This objective includes taking the president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to the platform of the co-religionist in the final phase.

According to the Poder360the Minister of Mines and Energy sees chances of a center-left union against Mauro Tramonte (Republicans), candidate who has the support of the governor Romeo Zema (New) and has been leading the polls of voting intentions.

Silveira aims for eventual support from candidates Rogerio Correia (PT) and Duda Salabert (PDT) to the current mayor and, above all, in Lula’s active participation in Fuad’s campaign. The PT candidate, however, lost in the capital of Minas Gerais in 2022 by 45.7% against 54.3% for the former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

In this first round, the president recorded videos asking for votes for Correia, but has not actively participated in the race. He is not expected to go to Belo Horizonte for any electoral commitment in this first phase. This is already read, in a way, as a nod to Fuad and the minister.

With the landing of the former mayor Alexandre Kalil from the PSD to the Republicans to support Tramonte, Silveira became the current mayor’s main campaigner in the dispute. The president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), another important name of the party in Minas, has had a more discreet performance in the campaign.

Despite the minister’s plans for the second round in Belo Horizonte, the entire strategy depends on an even more difficult mission at the moment, which is for Fuad to qualify for the next stage.

According to the latest Datafolha poll, released on Thursday (September 5, 2024), Tramonte remains in the isolated lead with 29% of voting intentions. Fuad was the one who increased his score the most, going from 10% to 14%. But this is an increase still within the margin of error, of 3 points.

The current mayor is in a tangled 2nd platoon of candidates, all tied within the margin of error. In addition to Fuad, Bolsonaro’s candidate is on this list, Bruno Engler (PL), who got 13%, federal deputy Duda Salabert, with 12%, and deputy Rogério Correia, with 8%.

The 4-point increase was celebrated by Fuad’s campaign, which believes that the mayor has more room to grow as he becomes known to the public through election time on TV and radio. The PSD candidate was vice-mayor and took office in 2022 when Kalil resigned to run for state governor.

Eye on 2026

Alexandre Silveira’s commitment to Fuad Noman, as well as Kalil’s involvement in Tramonte’s campaign, have a political component in common: an eye on the 2026 elections.

It is no secret that the PSD wants to fight again for the governorship of Minas Gerais in the next election. And it has two important names for this, in the following order of preference: 1) Rodrigo Pacheco, and 2) Alexandre Silveira. Both would have a commitment to support Lula.

With two years to go until the next election, the current assessment is that Pacheco will only not run if he does not want to. In this arrangement, Silveira would be on the ticket running for the Senate. But if the Senate president declines, the minister would take the seat in the race for governor.

In this context, having an ally in charge of the Belo Horizonte City Hall would help the minister in his plans for promotion. It would unite the support of the federal and municipal machines of Belo Horizonte against the strong state apparatus, which will go to the candidate that Zema chooses as his successor.

Kalil, in turn, found himself in a party that already had two strong names for the dispute. He felt sidelined and decided to migrate to have a chance of running for state government again in 2026.

In the Republicans, this opportunity was assured to him. What’s more, there are those who consider that he could even be the candidate with Zema’s blessing. But it is still too early to say for sure.