The PMDB, Brazilian Democratic Movement party, Brazil’s main political force, reaffirmed its alliance with Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s Workers Party, PT, and closed ranks behind his handpicked candidate for October’s presidential election, Dilma Rousseff.
PMDB held its national convention over the weekend to renew its leadership and confirmed the coalition with the PT, which has been running since 2005, a vital element in facilitating Lula da Silva’s congressional agenda.
Given its political weight at national level and in Congress, the PMDB is expected to name the running mate for Rousseff presidential ticket. The convention ratified Michel Temer, president of the Congressional Lower House as PMDB chairman, who is considered the most probable vice president candidate.
In his speech before 600 PMDB delegates meeting in Brazilian capital Brasília, Temer called on the party to join forces with the ruling PT to give continuity to the administration of President Lula and recommended supporting the candidacy of cabinet chief Rousseff.
Temer also underlined the strength of the party which has the largest minorities both in the Lower House and in the Senate and emphasized that the current executive “knows very well that without the PMDB they can’t rule the country.”
However the decision on the vice presidency will not be adopted by PMDB, until PT officially proclaims Rousseff as the coalition’s presidential candidate.
