The Brazilian ruling party, the PT (Workers Party) announced its candidates on April 24. The candidates have to be called however, “pre-candidates” because of election rules that create two universes: one is make-believe and it runs parallel to the real-world universe.
Thus, various stages of the Brazilian electoral processes take place separately in different universes, as it were, until a magical moment, rigidly established by a Superior Electoral Court (TSE), when everything comes together.
For example, at this moment, in the make-believe universe no one is a candidate for the presidency because that is illegal, although in the real-world universe there are four of them: Dilma Roussef, José Serra, Marina Silva, Plínio Arruda Sampaio and they act as such.
The magic moment will occur in June, pursuant to TSE rules, when candidates can officially be candidates and all the pre-candidates will become candidates.
Anyway, on April 24, the PT announced that its candidate, sorry, pre-candidate, for the governorship of São Paulo will be senator Aloizio Mercandante and the former minister and mayor Marta Suplicy will run for a seat in the Senate.
Mercandante and Marta were approved by acclamation by a cheering crowd of politicians, most officeholders at the federal, state and local levels. Besides members of the PT, representatives of nine other political parties who are allies were present.
The PT candidate (“pre-candidate”) for the presidency, Dilma Rousseff, was also present. At the magical moment in June, the PT will hold another event – its official convention – and announce its official candidates.
