PSB launches Gelson Merísio as a candidate for the government of Santa Catarina Mariana Barcellos/ NSC The PSB confirmed Gelson Merísio's candidacy for the government of Santa Catarina. The decision was taken during a convention held this Tuesday (21) at the Legislative Assembly, in Florianópolis. Gelson Merísio is a businessman with a long political career as a state deputy, being twice president of the Legislative Branch. He ran for state government in 2018, being defeated in the 2nd round. ?Click and follow the g1 SC channel on WhatsApp Follow the latest news about the elections in Santa Catarina Other candidates approved at the convention: Ângela Albino (PDT) for vice-governor; Afrânio Boppré (PSOL) and Décio Lima (PT) for the Senate. "With the sincerity of my heart, I feel at home, I feel welcomed. I am happy to have accepted the mission that was entrusted to me by President Lula", declared Merísio. The PSB will contest this year's elections in Santa Catarina in coalition with the Brasil da Esperança federations (PT, PCdoB and PV) and the one formed by the Rede/Psol parties, in addition to the PDT. The parties are part of the so-called Democratic Front, which concentrates support in Santa Catarina for Lula's re-election as President. Elections 2026: who the parties should launch as pre-candidates for the Government of SC ? Convention calendar Conventions are the events in which party members meet to choose candidates in the elections. The deadline is August 5th. Next, the names must be registered with the Superior Court (TSE) by August 15th. The election campaign officially begins the following day. In this year's elections, on October 4, Brazilians will vote for: president; governor; Senate (two seats per state); federal deputy; state deputy; History of Gelson Merísio (PSB) Born in Xaxim, in the West, Gelson Merisio is a businessman and is 60 years old. He began his political career in 1988 and was a councilor in Xanxerê before assuming, in 2005, a term as state deputy. In 2014, after winning 119 thousand votes, she became the most voted state deputy in Santa Catarina until then. He was president of the Legislative Assembly twice: from 2010 to 2012, and from 2015 to 2016. While he was head of the Legislative Assembly, in 2016, he was among the guests on the flight carrying the Chapecoense delegation that crashed in Colombia, killing 71 people. He declared at the time that despite being confirmed among the passengers, he withdrew from the trip due to parliamentary activities. In 2018, he ran for state government for the PSD and led the vote in the 1st round, with 31.12% of valid votes. However, he was defeated in the 2nd round by Carlos Moisés, at the time in the old PSL. After declaring support for Jair Bolsonaro in the same election, he surprised in 2022 by approaching the PT and left-wing parties, coordinating the campaign of Décio Lima (PT) for the government, who came in second place. He recently left Solidariedade and joined the PSB. He also served as an independent advisor to the Board of Directors of JBS S.A., one of the largest food conglomerates in the world, led by brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista. Gelson Merísio, PSB pre-candidate for the Government of Santa Catarina Mariana Barcellos/NSC Total VIDEOS: g1 SC's most watched in the last 7 days