Left’s defeat in municipal elections in Brazil – DW – 10/28/2024

In the second round of municipal elections this Sunday (10/27/2024), right-wing and center-right parties took control of most of Brazil’s regional capitals and achieved a resounding result in São Paulo, the country’s largest city. Ricardo Nunes wins.

Nunes, a candidate with a moderate profile backed by right-wing former President Jair Bolsonaro, won re-election with 59.35% of the vote, while socialist Guilherme Boulos received 40.65%.

The Sao Paulo result was replicated on the map of Brazil, where most capitals were colored by right-wing and centre-right parties.

Of the fifteen capitals that were at stake this Sunday, the right and centre-right claimed victory in thirteen.

These forces expanded their power in the Amazon and also advanced into former leftist strongholds, such as some capitals in the northeast, the country’s poorest region, and the metropolitan area of ​​São Paulo.

Leftist candidates backed by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won this Sunday in two capitals, Fortaleza and Belém, and suffered defeats in six others, most spectacularly in Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre.

PT has municipal power only in one capital

The final balance of elections left only one of Brazil’s 26 capitals in the hands of Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT).

However, candidates from other parties supported by Lula also won significant victories, the most notable being the victory of centrist Eduardo Paes, who won re-election in Rio de Janeiro in the first round held on 6 October.

Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party (PL) will have four mayors of regional capitals, while a group of centre-right parties took over most of the larger cities.

The largest municipal power, with five capitals and more than 880 municipalities, is the Social Democratic Party (PSD), a centre-right formation that supports Lula in Congress and had several candidates favorable to Lula in these elections. Rio de Janeiro, like other declared Bolsonarists, such as Florianópolis.

Bolsonarism also lost in six capitals

This Sunday, Bolsonarism captured capitals such as Porto Alegre, Cuiabá and Aracaju, in addition to the crown jewel Sao Paulo, but lost in six capitals.

Bolsonaro, who traveled to Goiânia this Sunday to support defeated candidate Fred Domínguez, took advantage of good results for the right at the national level ahead of this Sunday’s count.

“We have helped parties on the right, the centre-right and even in the center. And (the first round of elections) was a big blow to the left,” Bolsonaro said.

Sao Paulo, a tremendous result

Elections took place in 51 major cities this Sunday, with no candidate gaining more than half the votes in the first round, but all eyes were on Sao Paulo, where the campaign was tinged with national controversy.

Sao Paulo’s results gave an undisputed victory to the current mayor, 56-year-old Ricardo Nunes, who had been in charge of municipal management since the death of his predecessor Bruno Covas in 2021.

He received timid support from Bolsonaro during the campaign, especially during the first round, when far-right voters were divided by the presence of Pablo Marquel, a candidate with a radical profile, who was the third-most voted candidate.

After declaring himself the winner this Sunday, Nunes said he had defeated “all extremists” and guaranteed that his administration would avoid “radicalism.”

PT loses places won by Lula in 2022

In his speech, he strongly thanked his main ally, Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, for his support, and only mentioned Bolsonaro when he referred to the “contribution” that the former president has made to his running mate, Ricardo Mello. Was done by appointing a police. Colonel in reserve.

Outside the regional capital, the vast majority of Sao Paulo’s neighboring working-class municipalities, where Lula was the most-voted candidate in the 2022 elections, remained in the hands of centre-right and right-wing parties.

These included Sao Bernardo do Campo, Lula’s political birthplace, where Marcelo Lima was re-elected, defeating the Bolsonaro candidate. The only victory for Lula’s PT in this working class area was the municipality of Moua.

JC (EFE, AP)