Historically staunch opponents, former President Lula (PT) and Governor João Doria (PSDB) forgot political differences amid the coronavirus crisis and exchanged messages on social media.
"Our obsession now has to be to beat the coronavirus. We have reached the point where Doria has to send the PM to invade the factory to get a mask. We have to recognize that the ones who are doing the most serious work in this crisis are the governors and the mayors", wrote the PT in his Twitter account.
Last Saturday, the governor collected 500,000 masks for health professionals from the 3M company. He used a federal law in February of this year that typifies a series of measures in public health emergencies.
Lula's statement was an indirect criticism of President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been opposing governors over the policies adopted during the crisis.
Doria replied to the ex-president: "We have many differences. But now is not the time to expose disagreements. The virus does not choose ideology or parties. The moment is one of focus, serenity, and work to help save Brazil and Brazilians".
Bolsonaro responded during the afternoon. "When we talk about unity, we are referring to those who want the best for Brazil and for Brazilians, not an alliance with those who almost completely destroyed it. We have disagreements between mere positions. Overcoming divergence is not abandoning one's honor or the truth", he wrote on Twitter.
Also, through the social media, Rio de Janeiro councilor Carlos Bolsonaro (Republicans), the president's son, took the opportunity to attack the former president and the governor of São Paulo, who has publicly criticized his father. "Do you still need to draw? Here are the two bands that make up the butt," he wrote.
Another son of the president, federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro wrote that "Lula's message is not of unity, it is political: at this moment it is worth PT being with the PSDB against Bolsonaro." "Formerly PT and PSDB pretended to be opponents, what was known as scissors strategy. Today they no longer have this modesty."
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon