After a meeting with the Workers' Party (PT) and the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) presidential campaign leadership, federal congressman André Janones (Avante) announced that he withdrew his name from the dispute for the Planalto Palace in order to support the PT candidate.
"From this moment on, (the candidacy) is unified and will be represented by the candidacy of President Lula," Janones said, in a live broadcast on his Facebook profile, where he has eight million followers, alongside Lula.
The alliance around Lula increases to eight parties: PT, Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB), Green Party (PV), Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL), Rede, Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), and Avante.
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Janones had 2% of voting intentions when he decided to join Lula's campaign. If Janones' votes are transferred to Lula, the possibility of a victory in the first round becomes closer.
In Brazil voting is mandatory. According to the electoral law, there are two ways to win elections in the first round: if a candidate gets more votes than the sum of all his or her opponents, or if he or she gets more than 50% of the votes.
According to the latest polls, former president Lula would win on October 2 by getting more votes than all his opponents combined. He would also be close to winning by getting a majority of the votes.
Ana Paula Matos is the vice president on the PDT ticket
Ciro Gomes (Democratic Labor Party. PDT, in Portuguese) announced today the name of the vice-mayor of Salvador (Bahia, a state in the Northeast of Brazil) to run for the vice-presidency on his presidential ticket. Ana Paula is a 44 year old black woman. She is a lawyer, a teacher, a post-graduate in Finance with a master's degree in Administration, and a permanent employee of Petrobras.
She began her career in municipal administration in 2013, holding positions in education, social welfare, social promotion, and poverty alleviation. In 2020, she was elected vice-mayor of Salvador, together with Bruno Reis (Democrats).
The choice was announced after internal debates, with Ana Paula's name indicated to contribute to the coordination of the government plan and "will have a fundamental role in the defense of the National Development Project", according to a PDT statement.
Edited by: Arturo Hartmann
