In recent weeks, the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) made an effort to forge alliances with political and business leaders linked to agribusiness in the Midwest, a region dominated by the Bolsonarista discourse. The most successful of them was the coalition that the party managed to make possible with the federal deputy Neri Geller (PP)who will run for a seat in the Senate for Mato Grosso.
Geller is a rural producer and vice president of the powerful Parliamentary Agricultural Front in the Chamber. He was the rapporteur of laws in Congress that make environmental licensing more flexible. His closest relationship with the PT was as Minister of Agriculture between 2014 and 2015, when he was at the MDB, during the government of Dilma Rousseff. Now he belongs to the party of Senator Ciro Nogueira (PP-PI), who is Minister of the Civil House of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and one of the leaders of Centrão.
Now, according to Geller himself, the PT’s openness to listen to the demands of agribusiness, added to the role of Geraldo Alckmin (PSB) as Lula’s deputy, were fundamental to sewing the alliance. “We sat down with the government plan team and we are motivated. They are willing to increase production with sustainability. And the entry of Alckmin brings us a lot closer”, said the candidate for the Senate.
And he also criticized Bolsonaro. “The current government fights over ideological issues with China, which is our biggest trading partner, while Lula has already shown himself to be a great leader in uniting the market,” he said. In addition, people close to the deputy say that the feeling that Lula will lead a peaceful and conciliatory government also went down very well for the politician linked to agribusiness.
A justification that cannot be ignored is the fact that the electoral scenario in Mato Grosso favors the alliance. Neri Geller’s main opponent is Senator Wellington Fagundes (PL), who is supported by Bolsonaro. “So why do I need to remain neutral?”, justified the deputy.