Presidential Candidate Ronaldo Caiado Hospitalized with Pneumonia

Presidential candidate Ronaldo Caiado of the PSD has been diagnosed with pneumonia and remains hospitalized at Hospital Vila Nova Star in São Paulo. According to a medical bulletin signed by Dr. Ludhmila Abrahão Hajjar, Caiado is clinically stable, breathing spontaneously, and showing good progress. He was initially admitted to treat acute pharyngitis before a chest CT scan led to the pneumonia diagnosis.

Allies expect Caiado to return to his campaign on Monday, October 14. A social media post from the candidate stated that it is time to care for his voice and recharge his energy for upcoming interviews and debates. Due to his health, Caiado canceled an appearance on the Inteligência Ltda podcast on Thursday. He had also hoped to participate in a presidential debate on Monday organized by the O Momento da Decisão pool, but that event was canceled because leading candidates Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro did not confirm their attendance.

The hospitalization occurs a few weeks before the first round of elections while Caiado faces challenges in the polls. The latest Datafolha survey placed him at 4 percent of voting intentions, trailing Augusto Cury, who rose from 2 percent to 8 percent to take third place.

In a recent interview with Folha and UOL on October 4, Caiado presented his presidential proposals and sought to expand his image beyond his political identification with Goiás. During that session, he was questioned about his running mate, Gilberto Kassab, who was mentioned in the Banco Master case involving allegations that former controller Daniel Vorcaro negotiated electoral donations in exchange for bribes during 2022 campaigns. The involved parties denied the accusations. Caiado stated that the Federal Police and the Supreme Court should investigate the matter and confirmed that Kassab would remain on the ticket regardless of any investigation.