Patrus Ananias Named PT Candidate for Minas Gerais Governorship

The national leadership of Brazil's Workers' Party (PT) announced that former Belo Horizonte mayor and ex‑minister Patrus Ananias will be the party's candidate for governor of Minas Gerais in the 2026 elections. The decision was made by PT's national electoral coordinator, Deputy Jilmar Tatto, without prior consultation with the state party hierarchy, prompting complaints from Minas Gerais PT officials who felt excluded. One source said the “principal decision of the party was taken without her.”

Patrus Ananias brings a long political track record: he served as mayor of Belo Horizonte from 1993 to 1996, introducing the participatory budget and popular restaurants; he was Minister of Social Development and Fight against Hunger under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and later Minister of Agrarian Development under President Dilma Rousseff. The candidacy follows the withdrawal of other potential names such as Senator Rodrigo Pacheco and former Contagem mayor Marília Campos. A meeting with President Lula is expected to formalize the nomination, and discussions are underway about a possible alliance with the PSB for a vice‑governor slot.