Fernando Haddad says São Paulo governors Doria and Tarcísio were only passing through

Fernando Haddad, the PT pre‑candidate for the São Paulo governorship, argued that both the incumbent governor Tarcísio de Freitas and his predecessor João Doria never intended to stay in office. He said, “tanto Doria quanto Tarcísio não queriam ser governadores … Estavam de passagem, pensando em voos mais longos.”

Haddad added that São Paulo’s public finances are in the worst shape in decades, recording the largest deficit in many years. He credited the state’s ability to close the fiscal year to a debt renegotiation carried out by President Luiz Inácio Lula’s administration, BNDES funding and the sale of the state water utility Sabesp, which injected roughly R$ 13 billion into the treasury, albeit at what he deemed a low price. The restructuring, conducted together with Senate president Rodrigo Pacheco, is said to provide an annual fiscal cushion of about R$ 11 billion.