Augusto Cury, a presidential candidate for the Avante party and a psychiatrist and author who polls third in the race, said on Thursday (10) in São Paulo that he could back Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a possible runoff, on the condition that the candidate prove there was no corruption in the funding of the film "Dark Horse". President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party (PT) was ruled out entirely: "I would not support Lula under any circumstance. Not even 0.01%", Cury said, according to O Globo.
Conditions for backing Flávio Bolsonaro
The statements came hours after the Federal Police launched Operation Make Up, which investigates the suspected diversion of congressional budget earmarks to entities tied to the production of the film about Jair Bolsonaro's political rise. Flávio Bolsonaro, the PL's presidential candidate and son of the former president, is not a target of that operation, but his name appears in a separate investigation into fundraising for the film with former banker Daniel Vorcaro, owner of Banco Master, according to G1. Vorcaro is suspected of running a financial fraud scheme, O Globo reports. The newspaper also reports that Flávio Bolsonaro sought R$ 134 million for the production, of which about R$ 69 million went to a fund in the United States with no transparency. The senator says the transfers were private sponsorship and denies wrongdoing.
Cury set three conditions before releasing his voters to back the senator: proof that there was no corruption, an account of where the money went, and the public signing of his government plan. "As for Flávio, he has to prove that he has no corruption. He has to prove where the money for 'Dark Horse' went. He has to take my government plan and, at a notary's office, sign that he will carry it out. If he does that, the people who follow me are released to vote for him", he said, according to G1. To O Globo, he added: "I would not stay neutral. But he would have to prove he is not corrupt, he would have to explain 'Dark Horse'".
"He [Vorcaro] was wearing an electronic ankle monitor and [Flávio] went there to ask for part of the money he still owed. That promiscuity with Banco Master has to be resolved no matter the cost. Because Brazil does not belong to a group of people, it belongs to 210, to 213 million Brazilians."
Lula, "not even 0.01%"
On Lula, Cury was categorical. "I will not support Lula, clearly, in the second round. I believe I will be in a second round strongly with my team. And Lula's nightmare, with all due respect, is my candidacy", he said during a campaign stop in São Paulo, according to G1. At a meeting with financial market executives organized by Banco Genial, he added, to applause: "Lula has to retire, the PT's model has to retire", O Globo reported.
In a Quaest poll released this week, Cury has 8% of voting intentions, in third place behind Lula (36%) and Flávio Bolsonaro (29%). In runoff simulations, the two front-runners tie numerically at 41%, with a margin of error of two percentage points. Avante, led by federal deputy Luís Tibé, is allied with the PT in four states and with the PL in seven. "If you find a party that is a convent, call me and I will join it", Cury replied, according to O Globo.
The first round is scheduled for October 4. If no candidate wins a majority of valid votes, the top two go to a runoff on October 25, and the decision of Cury, currently third in the polls, could influence the outcome. His support remains conditional on Flávio Bolsonaro's explanations about "Dark Horse", while the Federal Police and the Supreme Court continue to investigate the film's financing.