Pedro Lupion linked his position to economic pressures on rural producers; Tereza Cristina said a federation of two parties was preparing to formalize its support.
Brazil’s Parliamentary Agricultural Front (FPA) president Pedro Lupion said he supports Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who advanced to a presidential runoff against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva after the first round. Lupion linked his position to economic conditions and the difficulties facing producers and rural businesses.
Senator Tereza Cristina of the Progressistas party told CNN Brasil that the federation formed by Progressistas and União Brasil had decided to support Flávio, with a meeting expected to formalize the decision. She said support from the Republicanos party was also under discussion, and that talks with its president, Marcos Pereira, focused on policy and areas of alignment. São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas is also involved in political consultations around the candidacy, Cristina said.
Lupion said his support was primarily tied to macroeconomic problems that, in his view, are limiting investment. He cited public debt of about 11 trillion reais, the primary deficit and high interest rates. He said real rates facing rural producers exceed 20%, making it harder to expand production and repay debt. Those figures and assessments are his claims.
The FPA president also criticized federal measures to restructure agribusiness debt. He said discussions around bill PL 52 and debt renegotiations had not advanced as the caucus had hoped, while a provisional measure had reached fewer than 12% of producers. Lupion added that 144 amendments proposed by the front were rejected. He said rural insurance no longer met the sector’s needs and called for broader access to credit.
Lupion argued that agribusiness accounts for about 30% of jobs, more than half of Brazil’s trade balance and roughly a quarter of GDP, while producers face financial constraints at home. In the wake of congressional elections, he also estimated that the bloc linked to agribusiness could have about 330 federal deputies and more than 47 senators from 2027. He said 18 FPA members elected to the lower house won Senate seats for the next legislature.
Cristina said her support for Flávio reflected a desire to change the country’s direction and that she had heard accounts of disappointment during trips around Brazil. She supports ending consecutive presidential re-election; whether the restriction should also cover governors and mayors remains for Congress to decide. Reuters reported that Flávio and Lula advanced from the October 4 first round to a runoff scheduled for October 25.