What changes from the Leite government to the Zucco government in RS? Transition meeting defined next steps

The current governor and the elected governor of Rio Grande do Sul held the first official meeting to discuss the transition of management at Palácio Piratini this Friday (9), at the headquarters of the state Executive Branch.

Eduardo Leite (PSD) and Luciano Zucco (PL) met for almost two hours, with the presence of the transition teams. They agreed that meetings between the two teams will take place weekly, starting on October 19th.

"We had a long, extensive conversation, and, if they would let us, we would stay talking longer. We have already shared a series of data, concerns, but it is just an inaugural meeting", declared Leite.

Zucco also said:

"We are really happy. It is being very positive, in the way organized by governor Eduardo Leite, he is already able to participate in person in several meetings. Rio Grande do Sul really shows maturity, not only for the state, but for Brazil, of a very effective transition", said Zucco.

The elected governor should not participate directly in this first stage of work, as he will dedicate himself in a more targeted manner to the campaign of Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), in the second round of the presidential election.

After being elected in the 1st round on Sunday (4), Zucco has been signaling the changes he should implement from January. Starting with reducing the number of secretariats. The current administration has 30 portfolios. In an interview with Jornal do Almoço, on RBS TV, the PL politician stated that he seeks to reduce this number to 15 or 20 structures.

Leite said that he will be able to share with his successor decisions on projects confused by the current administration that will have an impact on the next government. This is the case with the concession of Block 2 of highways, which encompasses seven roads with a total length of 414.91 kilometers and which pass through 32 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul in the North and Valleys regions.

"We understand that this needs to be discussed. We will leave all the material, the modeling, the structuring to the elected government, so that it can, based on this, make the route it really wants. Block 2, which takes the Vales region towards the Northern region of the state, has already matured more in the political process, but we will not make a move without discussion with the elected government", he said.

In June, the highway block went up for auction on B3, the São Paulo Stock Exchange, with investments of R$6 billion, but was canceled due to a lack of interested parties.

A transition committee will be set up to align Piratini's handover to the new management. On the current government's side, political articulation will be the responsibility of former governor Ranolfo Vieira Júnior, who was Leite's deputy in his first term, took over as governor between March and December 2022 and is currently chief secretary of the Civil House.

Technical coordination will be the responsibility of the current Planning Secretary, Danielle Calazans. State Attorney General (PGE) Eduardo Cunha da Costa will act as a legal and legislative assistant.

The elected government team will have the former mayor of Esteio Leonardo Pascoal (PL) as its general coordinator. He is the current Secretary of Education for Sebastião Melo (MDB) in Porto Alegre and was one of Zucco's campaign coordinators in this election.

There will also be Cezar Schirmer (MDB), former mayor of Santa Maria who also works in the administration of Porto Alegre, in the Planning department, as well as Leandro Sonne (Republicans), Alencar Capucci and Norton Baum.

In total, the elected government will have a general coordinator, two technical coordinators, five area coordinators, seven senior advisors and two special advisors on the commission.

At the meeting, a work proposal was presented with a calendar of activities and thematic division of subjects and mechanisms for sharing information between administrations.

The structure presented suggests six thematic axes: Public Security; Public Management and Finance; Environment, Infrastructure and Urban Mobility; Social Policies; Economic Development; and Rio Grande and Resilience Plan.

According to the proposed calendar, the inauguration of the Transition Commission office is scheduled for October 13th or 14th, when a general overview of the situation in Rio Grande do Sul should also be presented. Meetings by thematic axes should begin on October 19th, with the delivery of the Transition Book scheduled for October 26th.

The document will be prepared to gather essential information about state administration and contribute to the continuity of public policies. Among the planned contents are the structure and powers of state bodies, the programs, projects and actions developed between 2023 and 2026, the results achieved, ongoing initiatives and information on budget, contracts, tenders and works, in addition to risks, deadlines and priority decisions.