Sergio Moro all but launches presidential bid for 2022

One and a half years ago, Sergio Moro called a press conference that rocked Brazilian politics. Once held up as a “superminister” in President Jair Bolsonaro’s cabinet, he announced his resignation from his post as Justice Minister, accusing the head of state of trying to tamper with federal probes. His acrimonious exit sparked a crisis within the administration and threatened its very political viability — throwing Mr. Bolsonaro into the arms of the “Big Center,” a group of mildly conservative rentier parties he vowed never to get in bed with.

Now, less than a year before the 2022 election, Mr. Moro captured the attention of the political class once again, officially announcing his debut in partisan politics by joining the center-right Podemos party.

Wednesday’s event had all the trappings of a candidacy launch, but stopped short of making it official. Mr. Moro spoke and acted as someone with his heart set on becoming president, mentioning his dream of balancing free-market capitalism and welfare policies, tackling corruption, and building bridges to unite politically estranged Brazilians. 

“I may not be the best at delivering speeches, but I’m someone you can trust,” said the former judge, who has undergone intense media-training sessions — the result of which saw him ditch his customary necktie look, and attend speech-therapy classes to get rid of high-pitched notes in his diction. 

“After...