Eduardo Leite Booed at Petrobras Shipbuilding Signing With Lula in Rio Grande

Overview

• At Estaleiro Ecovix in Rio Grande (RS), the government signed Programa Mar Aberto contracts to build five gas carriers, 18 push boats and 18 barges, an investment of about R$2.8 billion with potential for more than 9,000 jobs.
• When Governor Eduardo Leite began speaking, parts of the audience booed and chanted “sem anistia,” and President Lula gestured for the crowd to stop.
• Leite appealed for respect, said the ceremony was an institutional event rather than a rally, and cited the 2022 result (50.8% to 49%) to warn that hostility deepens division.
• He also urged greater federal attention to Rio Grande do Sul, arguing that incentive imbalances have hurt local industry, while welcoming the naval contracts.
• Coverage notes Leite as a potential PSD contender for the presidency as the party deliberates its course, with names like Ratinho Júnior and a possible alignment with Tarcísio de Freitas in play.