Renan Santos, the Missão party's candidate for Brazil's presidency, said on Saturday, August 1, that a government led by him would kill anyone who steals. He made the remark at his party's official campaign launch event in the eastern zone of São Paulo.
He said his country would not hand out charity to anyone, that people would be able to buy their own cars and phones, and that no one would steal what belonged to them because his government would kill thieves.
Public security described as a war
Speaking to journalists after the event, Santos said anyone who wanted to fight police with weapons would face a corresponding response, adding that there is no such thing as a one-sided war and that the government would confront an enemy seeking conflict. He said he would welcome criminals surrendering, adding he would be pleased if none of his police officers suffered a single casualty among their opponents, partly so officers themselves would not die in gunfights, calling that the ideal scenario, though he questioned whether it would happen.
Five goals for a Santos government
- Reduce homicides to fewer than 10,000 a year
- Keep interest rates at no more than 6% and achieve a nominal surplus
- Ensure no Brazilian state has more people receiving Bolsa Família payments than in formal employment by the end of his term
- Cut the number of favelas in Brazil by 6,000, removing 8 million people from those communities
- Ensure nine in ten children are literate
Campaign without alliances or TV time
Santos, a businessman, will campaign without political alliances or free television and radio airtime, relying on the minimum share of the electoral fund and a strategy focused on digital engagement. The newly formed Missão party will receive 3.3 million reais, 0.07% of the total electoral fund, and having not cleared the vote threshold, will not get free TV or radio advertising. Campaign members said the main strategy to raise Santos's profile will be debate appearances, continued trips to small towns and creative use of social media. He will not ally with other parties but says he will have support in every state from Missão candidates for governor, senator or federal deputy.
Nine state-level candidates announced
The party held its official launch on Saturday, though the legal formalities of its convention were completed on July 20, the first day of the electoral court's calendar. The party moved up the process to secure a federal police escort, after Santos said he had received threats from organized crime in places where he had scheduled public events. At the event, Missão also announced nine candidates for state government races in Santa Catarina, Paraná, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso, Ceará, Pernambuco and Maranhão.
