President praised the management of the mayor of Belford Roxo; the city summarizes the dispute between Lula and Bolsonaro in Rio de Janeiro
The president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) expressed gratitude this Thursday (12.Sep.2024) to the mayor of Belford Roxo (RJ), Waguinho (Republicans). For the Chief Executive, if all mayors were like the manager of Baixada Fluminense, Brazil would be “much better”.
“I came here as a gesture of gratitude to my comrade Waguinho. I know thousands of mayors in Brazil. I am the only president of the Republic who has received all of Brazil’s mayors during the entire period that I have governed this country, because all of these presidents do not like to receive mayors, and I can tell you: if Brazil had more mayors like Waguinho, we would be much better off.”he stated.
Between support and caresses, the PT member continued the speech and classified it as “enviable” the mayor’s ability to “make things happen” in the municipality.
“Waguinho’s ability to work, his ability to make things happen and the affection with which he treats the people of Belford Roxo are something to be envied”he stated.
The current electoral scenario in Belford Roxo summarizes the anticipated dispute between President Lula and his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro (PL), regarding the 2026 scenario.
Today, Lula runs the risk of losing one of his most important support points in the interior of Rio if he loses control of the Belford Roxo City Hall. Waguinho (Republicans), one of the few Rio mayors to support the PT candidate in the 2022 presidential election, can no longer be reelected (he is in his second term). He nominated a relative to run for the position, but he has not been gaining traction in the polls.
Waguinho’s candidate is his nephew Matheus, also a member of the Republicans. His direct competitor is state deputy Márcio Canella (União Brasil), who is an ally of Bolsonaro and the governor of Rio de Janeiro. Claudio Castro (PL).
The Baixada Fluminense region is made up of 13 municipalities and is strongly influenced by the parallel power of the militias (armed groups that act as informal police in several regions). It is home to 3.7 million inhabitants, of which 2.9 million are voters. Belford Roxo has 483,087 inhabitants (347,340 of whom are voters).
In 2022, Lula lost in all 13 cities in the region, but Waguinho’s support in Belford Roxo was important for the PT candidate to gain a foothold in an imminently pro-Bolsonaro stronghold. It is also there that evangelical churches have great influence.
Waguinho’s wife, the federal deputy Daniela Carneiro (União Brasil-RJ), was Minister of Tourism at the beginning of the PT’s term. However, photographs of Daniela on social media with members of the Baixada Fluminense militia and her disaffiliation from União Brasil ended up leading to the loss of the position in July 2023.
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