A sentence said by former Rio Grande governor do Sul Eduardo Leite (PSDB) this weekend went unnoticed, but it should be highlighted to show who he is.
After leaving the government of Rio Grande do Sul and without any nominee in October, Eduardo Leite is working to become the presidential candidate. This weekend, he attended an event held in Boston in the United States, attended by presidential candidates such as Ciro Gomes (PDT), Joo Doria (PSDB) and Simone Tebate (MDB).
Asked if he could also be offered as a presidential candidate, Eduardo Leite replied: “I am on track for business”.
The sentence clearly reflects the profile of the politician who did not concede defeat in the PSDB preview, the same one who selected Doria as the Toucan presidential candidate.
By saying that he is on the right track, Eduardo shows that he is over-ambitious (more than his political allies) and that he is not concerned about Brazil or democracy. The “business” he refers to is a purely personal business, an immature power project he built for himself.
At other times in the past, Eduardo Leite has already shown that he has no concern for democracy. The politician shows the profile of a centre-right conservative who supports only austerity, a chronic position that has been shunned by the entire world.
In October 2021, for example, during a debate before the PSDB elections, Leite said he would privilege the economy over democracy.
Asked whether there is a hierarchy and whether he prefers the economic question, Eduardo Leite was unable to say that democracy takes precedence over economy.
The same currency was observed during all the PSDB previews. Leit admitted to participating in an internal election, spending money promoting the party and, when he lost, did not accept the result.
His supporters also raised suspicions of fraud in the process without any evidence. It’s their old game for those who don’t accept democracy: if they lose, they scream that it’s cheating. He remembered Asio Neves.
Eduardo Leite has been playing this obscure game all the time, which is very bad from a democratic point of view. Toucan was defeated, but he tries to pull the rug from under his opponents all the time by internalizing. There is no recognition of another’s victory, which is part of democracy.
The democratic tradition in Europe and the United States – they should be aware – is that when a candidate loses, he congratulates his opponent before the opponent speaks out triumphantly. The victory recognition ritual is part of this process of accepting the rule of democracy.
Eduardo Leite does not follow the customs and formalities required for democracy. Criticized by all the important leaders of his party, he did not give up on his own accord – not even that.
Even if he manages to get the candidacy in October, Eduardo Leite has already lost. It has lost credibility, lost respect and lost the opportunity to value democracy.
