Brazil President Bolsonaro to start his own party after quitting PSL

PSL lawmakers Daniel Silveira and Bia Kicis on November 12 said that the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro will quit the Social Liberal Party and start a new one of his own by March 2020. The lawmakers made the statement after meeting the President on Tuesday. The fractious right-wing, PSL, which Bolsonaro joined as a vehicle to win the elections in October, is split down the middle over control of the party. Yet it is not clear how many of its 53 representatives and three senators will follow or join the president. The new party which will be reportedly called 'Movimento pelo Brasil', or 'Movement for Brazil' will hold its first meeting on November 21 to begin its set up. The president and PSL founder Luciano Bivar in October argued over the leadership of the party which is said to be handed over to the latter's sons which led to the split. Brazil's economic reform agenda is expected to be unaffected by the split said analysts to media. Yet a new party could politically weaken Bolsonaro, they added. Bolsonaro has switched allegiances among eight parties during his 28 years in Congress before joining the PSL last year.

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Lower house lawmakers will lose funds if they swap

About 390 million reais ($94 million) is at stake in public campaign funds of PSL for municipal elections. The party helped grow Bolsonaro and his followers from a single lawmaker in Congress to the country's second-largest bench. At the same time, lower house lawmakers are subject to rules that bar them from continued access to the campaign funding if they swap parties. This excludes senators, governors, and mayors in Brazil. While 500,000 signatures are needed for a new party, Bolspnaro's supporters plan to achieve that through a social media campaigning. The platform also helped Bolsonaro be successful in the presidential run for president last year.

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PSL members divided over joining Bolsonaro

Speaking about the situation, Bia Kicis said the media that several representatives plan to follow the president. They are prepared to lose the campaign funds because they want to found a new party to follow him. Yet there are others like Senator Soraya Thronicke from the farm-state of Mato Grosso whoa re not certain. She said the media that if she stayed in the PSL, only one senator would follow Bolsonaro, his son Flavio Bolsonaro. 

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(With inputs from agencies)