Alckmin becomes official candidate for Lula's vice-president for October elections

During a party ceremony in Brasília, Alckmin criticized Bolsonarism and accused the movement of misrepresenting the motto "God, country and family", a phrase that has become a symbol of the extreme right.

In the presence of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who participated in the event, Alckmin also stated that "it is not possible to talk about freedom while wanting to overthrow democracy" and recalled the attempted coup d'état following the results of the 2022 elections.

"In fact, anyone who doesn't believe in democracy shouldn't even contest elections, they shouldn't ask for a vote. If they don't believe in the people, who should be the protagonists of all elections, they shouldn't contest elections," he added.

At 73 years old and with 54 years of political life, Alckmin joined the PSB in 2022, during the formation of the so-called "broad front", a coalition created to defeat Jair Bolsonaro (PL), then a candidate for re-election.

A member of the center-right party PSDB for more than 30 years, Alckmin was a harsh critic of the PT and governed the state of São Paulo for four different terms. The state has never been administered by the Workers' Party.

In addition to being the richest federation unit in the country, São Paulo is also the most populous, concentrating around 21% of the Brazilian electorate, with 34.1 million voters eligible to vote.

The rapprochement between Alckmin and Lula is relatively recent. The two have exchanged criticism in the past and have been historic adversaries, including in the 2006 presidential election, when Lula was re-elected for a second term.

In 2018, Alckmin returned to run for President of the Republic, but finished fourth in the first round, with just 4.76% of the votes.

At the head of the São Paulo government, Geraldo Alckmin became known for promoting privatizations of state-owned companies, for the actions of a police force frequently criticized for repressing teachers during strikes and for his ready-made phrases and discreet style.

Because of his lack of charisma, he received the nickname "chayote popsicle", in reference to the vegetable considered tasteless.

In recent years, however, this image has changed. The politician sought to renew his public image by publishing memes on social media, recording humorous videos and even adopting colorful socks during public appearances.

Since Lula's election, Alckmin began to win the sympathy of sectors of the left by showing himself to be a faithful ally of the president, without trying to compete for protagonism within the government.

Because he commanded the most industrialized state in the country, Lula entrusted him with the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC), with the mission of facilitating dialogue between the government and the industrial sector, traditionally more resistant to the left.

In interviews, the vice-president often states that he "has always been very well received" in the PT and defines himself as Lula's "co-pilot".

During the event, President Lula said he can "sleep peacefully" with Geraldo Alckmin as vice-president.

"With Alckmin, we will never think that we are going to sleep and have a blow the next day in the morning", he declared.

The phrase was interpreted as an indirect criticism of former president Michel Temer, Dilma Rousseff's vice president in 2016, accused by sectors of the left of having contributed to the process that led to the impeachment of the PT member.

Next Sunday, the PT will hold a ceremony to formalize the candidacy of Lula da Silva, who will run for a fourth presidential term at the age of 80. Lula governed Brazil for the first time between 2003 and 2010.