When officially launching his entry into partisan politics, former Justice Minister Sergio Moro tried to be coy about his presidential aspirations — saying there were many other good alternatives for the country’s top job. Political observers saw this as Mr. Moro leaving the door open for potentially making a less risky move, such as running for governor or senator for his home state of Paraná.
But the positive mainstream media reception to his affiliation to the Podemos party has left the former judge in no doubt about which office he should be running for next year, which he hinted toward in a talk show interview that aired on Tuesday night. Asked whether he is ready to be president — despite never having held elected office in his life — Mr. Moro said: “I’m ready to lead a project to be built with the Brazilian people. If the people have that confidence [in me], the project will continue.”
He also mentioned having added economist Affonso Celso Pastore to his team of advisors. Mr. Pastore, 82, is a respected former Central Bank chairman who has rated Economy Minister Paulo Guedes’s performance as a zero out of 10.
Mr. Moro is currently polling in third place, behind former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and President Jair Bolsonaro. And while he does seem appealing to high-income voters in wealthier areas, one recent poll shows that he is rejected by 61 percent of the electorate — especially in poorer areas.
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