

Currently released so far... 12478 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
AU
ASEC
AE
AF
AORC
AEMR
AMGT
ABUD
AFFAIRS
APER
AS
AMED
AY
AG
AR
AJ
AL
AID
AM
AODE
ABLD
AMG
AFIN
ATRN
AGAO
AFU
AN
AA
ALOW
APECO
ADM
ARF
ASEAN
APEC
AMBASSADOR
AO
ASUP
AZ
AADP
ACOA
ANET
AMCHAMS
ACABQ
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
APCS
AGMT
AINF
AIT
AORL
ACS
AFSI
AFSN
ACBAQ
AFGHANISTAN
ADANA
ADPM
AX
ADCO
AECL
AMEX
ACAO
ASCH
AORG
AGR
AROC
ASIG
AND
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AC
AUC
ASEX
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
BL
BR
BO
BA
BD
BM
BK
BG
BU
BB
BH
BTIO
BY
BEXP
BP
BE
BRUSSELS
BF
BIDEN
BT
BX
BC
BILAT
BN
BBSR
BTIU
BWC
BMGT
CA
CASC
CVIS
CM
CH
CO
CU
CD
CWC
CI
CS
CY
CMGT
CF
CG
CR
CB
CV
CW
CE
CBW
CT
CPAS
COUNTERTERRORISM
CJAN
CODEL
CIDA
CDG
CDC
CIA
CTR
CNARC
CSW
CN
CONS
CLINTON
COE
CROS
CARICOM
CONDOLEEZZA
COUNTER
CL
COM
CICTE
CIS
CFED
COUNTRY
CJUS
CBSA
CEUDA
CLMT
CAC
COPUOS
CIC
CBE
CHR
CTM
CVR
CITEL
CLEARANCE
CACS
CAN
CITT
CARSON
CACM
CDB
CAPC
CKGR
CBC
EC
EG
EPET
ECON
ETRD
EFIN
EIND
EMIN
ENRG
EAID
EAGR
EUN
ETTC
EAIR
ENIV
ES
EU
EINV
ELAB
ECIN
EFIS
ELTN
EWWT
ECPS
ECONOMIC
ENGR
EN
EINT
EPA
ELN
ESA
EZ
ER
ET
EFTA
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EUMEM
ETRA
EXTERNAL
EI
EUR
EK
ERNG
ENGY
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ENERG
EINVEFIN
ENVR
ECA
ELECTIONS
ETC
EUREM
ENNP
EFINECONCS
EURN
ECINECONCS
EEPET
EXIM
ERD
ENVI
ETRC
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ETRO
EDU
ETRN
EAIG
ECONCS
ECONOMICS
EAP
ECONOMY
EINN
EIAR
EXBS
ECUN
EINDETRD
EREL
EUC
ESENV
ECONEFIN
ECIP
EFIM
EAIDS
ETRDECONWTOCS
EUNCH
EINVETC
IZ
IT
IR
IS
IN
IC
IAEA
IO
ICAO
IWC
ID
IV
ISRAEL
IAHRC
IQ
ICTR
IMF
IRS
IDP
IGAD
ICRC
ICTY
IMO
IL
INRA
INRO
ICJ
ITU
IBRD
INMARSAT
IIP
ITALY
IEFIN
IACI
ILO
INTELSAT
ILC
ITRA
IDA
INRB
IRC
INTERPOL
IA
IPR
IRAQI
ISRAELI
INTERNAL
ISLAMISTS
INDO
ITPHUM
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
IBET
INR
IEA
IZPREL
IRAJ
ITF
IF
KDEM
KU
KPAL
KNNP
KCRM
KZ
KN
KS
KJUS
KTFN
KSCA
KV
KISL
KPAO
KPKO
KIRF
KTIA
KIPR
KFLO
KFRD
KTIP
KAWC
KSUM
KCOM
KAID
KE
KTDB
KMDR
KOMC
KWBG
KDRG
KVPR
KTEX
KGIC
KWMN
KSCI
KCOR
KACT
KDDG
KHLS
KSAF
KFLU
KSEO
KMRS
KSPR
KOLY
KSEP
KVIR
KGHG
KIRC
KUNR
KIFR
KCIP
KMCA
KMPI
KBCT
KHSA
KICC
KIDE
KCRS
KMFO
KRVC
KRGY
KR
KAWK
KG
KFIN
KHIV
KBIO
KOCI
KBTR
KNEI
KPOA
KCFE
KPLS
KSTC
KHDP
KPRP
KCRCM
KLIG
KCFC
KTER
KREC
KTBT
KPRV
KSTH
KRIM
KRAD
KWAC
KWMM
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KOMS
KX
KMIG
KRCM
KVRP
KBTS
KPAONZ
KNUC
KNAR
KPWR
KNPP
KDEMAF
KNUP
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KGIT
KPAI
KTLA
KFSC
KCSY
KSAC
KTRD
KID
KOM
KMOC
KJUST
KGCC
KREL
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFTFN
KO
KNSD
KHUM
KSEC
KCMR
KCHG
KICA
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KCGC
KWWMN
KPAK
KWNM
KWMNCS
KRFD
MOPS
MCAP
MPOS
MARR
MO
MNUC
MX
MASS
MG
MY
MU
ML
MR
MILITARY
MTCRE
MT
MEPP
MA
MDC
MP
MAR
MASSMNUC
MARAD
MAPP
MZ
MD
MI
MEETINGS
MK
MCC
MEPN
MRCRE
MAS
MIL
MASC
MC
MV
MTCR
MIK
MUCN
MEDIA
MERCOSUR
MW
MOPPS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MTRE
MEPI
MQADHAFI
MAPS
NO
NATO
NL
NP
NZ
NSF
NI
NH
NG
NAFTA
NU
NASA
NR
NATOPREL
NSSP
NSG
NA
NT
NW
NK
NPT
NPA
NATIONAL
NPG
NSFO
NS
NSC
NE
NGO
NDP
NIPP
NRR
NEW
NZUS
NC
NAR
NV
NORAD
OTRA
OPCW
OVIP
OAS
OREP
OPIC
OIIP
OPRC
ODIP
OEXC
OPDC
OSCE
OIC
OSCI
OECD
OFDP
OFDA
OMIG
OPAD
OFFICIALS
OVP
OIE
OHUM
OCS
OBSP
OTR
OSAC
ON
OCII
OES
PGOV
PREL
PHUM
PTER
PINS
PINR
PREF
PK
PROP
PA
PARM
PBTS
PMAR
PM
PGIV
PE
PRAM
PHUH
PHSA
PL
PNAT
PO
PLN
PAO
PSA
PHUMPGOV
PF
PEL
PBIO
POLITICS
PHUMBA
PAS
POL
PREO
PAHO
PMIL
POGOV
POV
PAK
PNR
PRL
PG
PREFA
PSI
PINL
PU
PARMS
PRGOV
PALESTINIAN
PAIGH
POLITICAL
PARTIES
POSTS
PROG
PORG
PTBS
PUNE
POLICY
PDOV
PCI
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PBT
PP
PS
PY
PTERE
PGOF
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PPA
PINT
PRELP
PSEPC
PGOVE
PINF
PNG
PGOC
PFOR
PCUL
POLINT
PGGV
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PGOVLO
PHUS
PDEM
PECON
PROV
PHUMPREL
RS
RU
RELATIONS
RW
RO
RM
RP
ROOD
RICE
RUPREL
RSO
RCMP
REACTION
REPORT
REGION
RIGHTS
RF
RFE
RSP
RIGHTSPOLMIL
ROBERT
SU
SCUL
SNAR
SOCI
SF
SA
SHUM
SENV
SP
SR
SY
SANC
SC
SMIG
SZ
SARS
SW
SEVN
SO
SEN
SL
SNARCS
SNARN
SI
SG
SN
SH
SYR
SAARC
SPCE
SHI
SCRS
SENVKGHG
SYRIA
SWE
STEINBERG
SIPRS
ST
SNARIZ
SSA
SK
SPCVIS
SOFA
SIPDIS
SAN
TC
TI
TBIO
TH
TSPL
TRGY
TSPA
TPHY
TU
TW
TS
TAGS
TK
TX
TNGD
TZ
TF
TL
TV
TN
TD
TIP
TR
TP
TO
TT
TFIN
THPY
TERRORISM
TINT
TRSY
TURKEY
TBID
US
UK
UNGA
UP
UZ
UNMIK
USTR
UNO
UNSC
UN
UNESCO
UNAUS
UNHRC
UY
UG
UNHCR
UNCND
USOAS
USEU
UNICEF
UNEP
UV
UNPUOS
UNCSD
USUN
UNCHR
UNDC
USNC
UE
UNDP
UNC
USPS
USAID
UNVIE
UAE
UNFICYP
UNODC
UNCHS
UNIDROIT
UNDESCO
UNCHC
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 06SAOPAULO1202, GOVERNOR LEMBO DISCUSSES POST-ELECTION POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #06SAOPAULO1202.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
06SAOPAULO1202 | 2006-11-21 14:14 | 2011-02-11 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Consulate Sao Paulo |
VZCZCXRO5139
PP RUEHRG
DE RUEHSO #1202/01 3251414
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211414Z NOV 06
FM AMCONSUL SAO PAULO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6068
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7139
RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 2846
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 2535
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 2211
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ 3120
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 1916
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 3232
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 7602
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC 2626
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SAO PAULO 001202
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE PASS USTR FOR CRONIN
NSC FOR FEARS
TREASURY FOR OASIA, DAS LEE AND JHOEK
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR BR
SUBJECT: GOVERNOR LEMBO DISCUSSES POST-ELECTION POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
REF: (A) SAO PAULO 899;
(B) SAO PAULO 675;
(C) SAO PAULO 532
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY
------- SUMMARY -------
¶1. (SBU) During a lunch with the CG, Sao Paulo Governor Lembo predicted that President Lula will face some opposition from within his own party, and expressed concern that if Lula has difficulty sustaining a majority in Congress, he might resort to populist rhetoric, though probably not populist action. Lembo and his foreign affairs advisor, Ambassador Adalnio Senna, said Lula's choice of Under Secretary Antonio Patriota to be Ambassador to the U.S. was a sign that Lula will try to engage the U.S. more during his second term. Senna noted that Patriota is eminently qualified as well as extremely close, both personally and professionally, to FM Amorim. With respect to state politics, Lembo expressed satisfaction that he will be able to turn the state government over to his successor in "perfect" financial condition. He opined that Governor-elect Jose Serra is not a leftist, as many observers allege, but rather "a regulator and an enforcer" who will provide good government for the state. Lembo intimated that things are not going well for his own Liberal Front Party (PFL) but implied that the party will continue to ally with Serra's Social Democracy Party of Brazil (PSDB). He dismissed media reports that Serra was attempting to create a new center-left party. End Summary.
¶2. (SBU) Consul General (CG) invited departing Governor Claudio Lembo and his foreign affairs advisor, Ambassador Adalnio Senna Ganem, to lunch at the Residence to observe the impending end of Lembo's term in office. The 71-year-old Lembo assumed the governorship on April 1 when Geraldo Alckmin resigned to run for President and is due to depart on December 31. During his term as Lieutenant Governor and later Governor, he has been a key contact and resource for the Consulate, especially on anti-piracy issues. He was instrumental in establishing the Sao Paulo State Anti-Piracy Committee and in bringing Governors from other states together to discuss piracy during the visit of Commerce Secretary Gutierrez (ref B). Lembo, who is known for his candid and sometimes politically incorrect utterances, is also a shrewd observer of the state and national political scene.
--------------------- PFL INTERNAL PROBLEMS ---------------------
¶3. (SBU) Lembo indicated that he plans to return to teach at Mackenzie University, where he used to be Rector, but also hopes to continue to have a voice and some influence in politics. He noted that things are not going well for the PFL, which lost ground in this year's election. Historically strong in the northeast, the PFL has been weakened by the declining influence of the "colonels" or regional bosses who used to deliver votes. However, Lembo also said that "the colonels have changed" and that in many places representatives of Lula's Workers Party (PT) have replaced the old PFL "caciques." Lembo noted that Senator Jorge Bornhausen (PFL from Santa Catarina in the south), who did not seek re-election this year, will also soon retire as President of the PFL and will be replaced by Sao Paulo Mayor Gilberto Kassab. (Note: Lembo, who has contentious relations with Bornhausen, has been quoted in the press as suggesting he might leave the PFL for another party if Bornhausen stays on. End Note.) While not saying so directly, he implied that the PFL will remain allied with the Social Democracy Party of Brazil (PSDB).
¶4. (SBU) With respect to the PSDB, Lembo did not expect Minas Gerais Governor Aecio Neves to be the party's candidate for President in 2010. He was not explicit, but made a vague, unelaborated reference to Neves's private life being a possible obstacle. He seemed more sanguine about the chances of Sao Paulo Governor-elect Jose Serra. Lembo dismissed press reports that Serra intends to create a new center-left political party, predicting that Serra would remain in the PSDB. He also thought Tasso Jereissati would continue as PSDB President.
SAO PAULO 00001202 002 OF 003
----------------------------- LULA'S SECOND-TERM CHALLENGES -----------------------------
¶5. (SBU) President Lula will face a number of challenges, Lembo said. His immediate priority will be creating a sustainable majority in Congress, which will require extensive courting of the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), a process which is already underway. Lula will be helped to some extent by the Barrier Clause, under which numerous small parties will disappear or be merged into others, leaving fewer parties, more rationally organized, to negotiate with. But Lula's Workers Party will be less influential in the second term, a reality that will exacerbate the existing tension between Lula and some elements of the PT, especially the social movements on the left. And Lembo expressed concern that if he should be unable to sustain a majority, Lula might adopt a more populist posture. However, he thought Lula might resort to populist rhetoric but not undertake populist actions. At heart, he said, Lula remains a petit bourgeois, which is another reason the leftist elements in the PT are dissatisfied with him. Lembo opined that Chief of the Civil Household Dilma Rousseff, whom he characterized as the most able of the people close to Lula, would be a viable candidate to succeed him in 2010.
-------------------------------------- POSITIVE SIGNAL ON BILATERAL RELATIONS --------------------------------------
¶6. (SBU) Asked how the U.S. could best engage Lula during his second term, Lembo acknowledged that this would be difficult, but not impossible. Both he and Ambassador Senna opined that by proposing MFA Under Secretary Antonio Patriota as the next Ambassador to the U.S., Lula was sending a signal that he wants to strengthen relations. Senna, who served both former Governor Alckmin and Lembo as foreign affairs adviser and informally advised Alckmin's presidential campaign, characterized Patriota as not only eminently capable and experienced but also as extremely close to FM Celso Amorim. There is probably nobody in the MFA Amorim trusts more, Senna stressed, noting that Patriota is the only official Amorim will sign papers for without even looking at them.
¶7. (SBU) For his part, Ambassador Senna has been named Consul General in Atlanta and is looking forward to taking up his new post. However, the Atlanta Consulate cannot open until the question of disposition of USG diplomatic property in Brazil is resolved. He noted that the MFA has approved the proposed agreement and forwarded it to the President's office. Once the President approves the proposal, it will be sent to Congress for ratification. Lembo said Senna, who is pragmatic and has worked trade issues at the governor's palace, would be in a good position in Atlanta to identify new opportunities to expand trade and investment.
--------------------------------- HIGH HOPES FOR SERRA'S GOVERNMENT ---------------------------------
¶8. (SBU) On the state level, Lembo said he and his staff had completed a review of state government operations and that everything is ready for Governor-elect Serra to take over on January 1. In particular, he asserted that the finances are in perfect order. Serra, he continued, is extremely well-prepared for the governorship. Contrary to popular opinion, Serra is not a leftist, but rather a "regulator" and an enforcer. The most important issues he will face are public security, the state penitentiary system, and the youth corrections system (formerly FEBEM, now CASA). It will be interesting, Lembo commented, to see how Serra handles public security, since he has been uncomfortable around police since his days as President of the National Students' Union (UNE) in the 1960s, when he was arrested for leading a demonstration and spent time in jail in Sao Paulo. (Note: During the military dictatorship, Serra was in exile in Chile and later the United States. End Note.) When Lembo, after the election, took him to meet the commander of the state military police, Serra was visibly nervous, he said.
¶9. (SBU) Lembo noted that former Justice Minister Aloysio Nunes Ferreira had declined the position of State Secretary for Public Security. The most likely candidate now, he said, is prominent
SAO PAULO 00001202 003 OF 003
criminal attorney and former military police officer and prosecutor Ronaldo Marzagao, who served in the Secretariat under Governor Andre Franco Montoro and in the Justice Ministry in the Sarney administration (1985-89). Public Security will be a key position in Serra's government because of the continuing challenges posed by the organized criminal group First Capital Command (PCC) (ref C). (Note: On November 20, Governor-elect Serra announced a number of appointments, including Marzagao to the Public Security post and Nunes Ferreira as Chief of the Civil Household. He also announced that, based on Lembo's recommendation, Antonio Ferreira Pinto would stay on as Secretary for Prison Administration. Pinto was named to the post in June in the aftermath of the mid-May PCC-led prison riots. End note.)
¶10. (SBU) Concerning other appointments, Lembo said that Lieutenant Governor (and long-time Federal Deputy and PSDB leader) Alberto Goldman would serve as Secretary of Transportation. Guilherme Afif Domingos, President of the Sao Paulo Chamber of Commerce, will likely be named Secretary of Labor. Afif Domingos is a state PFL leader who narrowly lost his Senate race to incumbent Eduardo Suplicy (PT).
¶11. (SBU) Lembo considers it very likely that Mayor Gilberto Kassab will seek re-election in 2008, most likely against PT former Mayor Marta Suplicy (2001-04), who lost her own bid for re-election to Serra and who has been mentioned as a possible Lula successor. But he noted that the PSDB's unsuccessful presidential candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, may also want to run for Mayor, since "he has nothing else to do." Assuming the PSDB-PFL alliance holds together, which at this point appears likely, at least at the state level, Kassab and Alckmin cannot both run, creating a difficult and delicate situation which Serra will have to mediate.
------- COMMENT -------
¶12. (SBU) Lembo, who was the target of vocal public criticism during and after the May wave of PCC-orchestrated violence, appeared relaxed and content with leaving office in Serra's able hands. He will likely continue to exercise influence within the PFL, especially if Bornhausen does retire. We were struck by Ambassador Senna's enthusiastic comments on the proposed appointment of Patriota as ambassador to the U.S., especially since Senna seems to have a more conservative and pragmatic view of foreign policy orientation than the current MFA leadership. However, one former Ambassador to the U.S. was less sanguine. He said Patriota, while personally loyal to FM Amorim, is unknown in the Brazilian business community, which will limit his ability to promote stronger commercial ties, at least initially. According to this source, Patriota could be expected to "deliver the mail" in Washington but would have no influence in shaping policy. End Comment.
¶13. (U) This cable was coordinated/cleared with Embassy Brasilia.
MCMULLEN