
Gabriel Souza, MDB candidate for the government of Rio Grande do Sul, stated that he came in third place with 8.43% of the votes due to political polarization and the migration of voters to Zucco's (PL) candidacy, influenced by polls that indicated a possible PL victory in the first round.
AI-generated summary
Gabriel Souza was the MDB candidate for the government of Rio Grande do Sul in the 2026 elections, competing in the first round against other candidates, including Zucco from PL, who won the election.
Gabriel Souza (MDB), after defeat in the RS election — Photo: Reproduction/RBS TV
The MDB candidate for the government of Rio Grande do Sul, Gabriel Souza, stated this Sunday (4) that he was “overrun” by political polarization during the election. He came in third place in the dispute for Palácio Piratini, with 8.43% (510,698 votes) with 100% of the ballots counted.
Defeated in the first round, he attributed the result, mainly, to the migration of votes in the final stretch of the campaign for the candidacy of Zucco (PL), governor elected in the state.
According to Gabriel, polarization had “a lot of strength” in the three states of the Southern Region and favored candidates linked to former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL). He mentioned Sergio Moro (PL), in Paraná, Jorginho Mello (PL), in Santa Catarina, and Zucco, in Rio Grande do Sul.
"We were really run over here by polarization. This ended up making a lot of useful votes", he assessed.
He stated that the campaign hoped to obtain a higher percentage at the polls, but that part of the voters ended up changing their vote given the possibility of the PL winning in the first round.
Research in the final stretch
Gabriel also attributed part of the migration of votes to electoral polls released in the last days of the campaign.
According to him, surveys released the day before pointed to the possibility of PL victory for the government of Rio Grande do Sul in the first round. For the candidate, this would have caused a “very strong migration of votes”.
Gabriel stated that his candidacy and that of his vice-president, Ernani Polo (PSD), also competed for the center-right and liberal-right voters and, therefore, would have been directly affected by the movement.
"This made us lose a lot of votes in this final stretch. Our candidacy was in dialogue with this center-right voter, with the liberal right, and, when the perception that the PL candidate could win in the first round was consolidated, many of these voters ended up changing their position. It was a strategic decision by the voter, which we respect, but which had a direct impact on our result", he stated.
The candidate highlighted that he does not consider the electoral movement to be an irregularity and said he respects the voters' decision.
"It's legitimate, it's democratic. The voter is sovereign. I'm not complaining, but I'm seeing the electoral movement that took place."
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AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Gabriel Souza is expected to remain active in state politics in Rio Grande do Sul, possibly seeking new positions or strengthening his base for future disputes.
Possible · Within months

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