Doria's Government Throws Money at Congress Members As Governor Readies Presidential Campaign

The scenes are repeated in reports by congress members: the Sao Paulo Government seeks out the congressmember and offers them state funding for municipalities specified by the politician. Although most of these talks happened with government secretaries, at least two congress members say that the meetings took place at Palacio dos Bandeirantes during lunch or dinner at the invitation of Joao Doria (PSDB), who plans to run in the presidential elections in 2022. Doria's administration does not ask for anything in return, according to the politicians, but the money helps to ensure a good relationship with the state government. By the end of July, of the 70 federal deputies in Sao Paulo, 34 had funds made available -- about R$ 10 million (US$ 1.8 million) for each of them. They are transfers of public resources to meet the so-called "parliamentary demands," which, in practice, work as amendments to the Budget. Without transparency, Doria increased resources and distributed them to congress members of allied parties and some to the opposition.