06/19/2024 – 16:39
With less than four months to go before the elections, yet another dispute between groups from the old Antônio Carlos Magalhães family clan and the group led by the PT, which commanded the state government in 2007, should move the elections in Salvador. While Mayor Bruno Reis (União), a candidate for reelection, leaves with a wide advantage, it will be up to vice-governor Geraldo Júnior (MDB) to become known and recognized as a candidate for Governor Jerônimo Rodrigues and the PT chiefs who commanded the State: Senator Jaques Wagner and Minister Rui Costa.
The survey carried out by the Paraná Pesquisas institute and released on June 4th shows Bruno Reis, with 64%, well ahead of his former ally, Geraldo Júnior (MDB), who appears with 11% and will have to repeat the rapid growth of his allies in the final stretch of the last state disputes. Kleber Rosa (PSOL) comes in third place, with 3.8%. Victor Marinho (PSTU) has 3.3% of valid voting intentions. Eslane Paixão (Unidade Popular) is also part of the race, but was not included.
AtlasIntel research released in March showed a similar scenario. In the survey, the current mayor also appeared with 64.4% of voting intentions, but Geraldo Júnior was doing a little better than in Paraná, reaching 23%. Rosa remained in third place, with 10.4%. Marinho and Paixão were not listed in this search.
The current head of the municipal Executive maintains a considerable base of parties to contest this year’s municipal elections, with 12 acronyms so far, of which the largest are: União Brasil, PDT, PP, Republicans, PL, PSDB, Cidadania, Novo, DC and PRD.
In this supportive scenario, Reis also brings together his pre-candidacy for re-election with a well-known name in Bahian politics and his political godfather, Antônio Carlos Magalhães Neto (União), who has been with him for more than 20 years, and with whom he shared the mayor’s office. of Salvador, between 2016 and 2020, when he held the position of vice-mayor of the city. Currently, ACM Neto is national vice-president of União Brasil.
Elected in 2020, Bruno Reis confirmed his favoritism in the capital of Bahia and won the city’s mayorship in the first round. He had 771,616 votes, a percentage of 64.2%. In second place was Major Denice Santiago (PT), candidate of the then governor Rui Costa (PT), who obtained 226,611 votes, or 18.88%.
His main competitor must be Geraldo Júnior, current vice-governor of Bahia and former president of the Salvador City Council, during 2019 and 2020, who was reappointed to the post in 2021 and 2022.
The emedebista, who already took over the Municipal Labor Secretariat, at the time, in 2017, from the then mayor ACM Neto, now faces a polarized election alongside his opponent Bruno Reis. In addition to being former allies, until the rupture in the 2022 elections, the two are protagonists of a political division between the state government and the city of Salvador.
Júnior’s candidacy was launched on June 6, when the PT came down with the hammer and nominated the state secretary of Social Assistance and Development (Seades), Fabya Reis, for the vice position.
Married to federal deputy Valmir Assunção (PT-BA), the deputy is close to the Landless Workers Movement (MST). The proximity is strengthened by Assunção, which plays an important role as an MST supporter within Congress.
The PT’s last competitive municipal election in Salvador was that of Nelson Pelegrino, in 2012, who lost the dispute, in the second round, with 46.49% of valid votes against 53.51% for ACM Neto.
In Bahia, the PT, through the governments of Rui Costa (PT), current minister of the Civil House, and Jaques Wagner (PT), current senator, commanded the State for four consecutive terms. Continuing PT’s dominance, the fifth PT administration was elected in 2022, led by Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT).
With 10 base parties, Geraldo Júnior’s pre-candidacy has the support of PT, PCdoB, PV, MDB, Podemos, PSB, PSD, Avante, Solidariedade and Agir. The approval of the vice-governor’s pre-candidacy for mayor of Salvador did not come without controversy among PT members. The “Articulação de Esquerda” current tried to block the decision, sending a request to the national directory to suspend support for the pre-candidacy of the emedebista, due to Júnior’s center-right political inclination in his eventual mandate alongside Jerônimo Rodrigues.
Relevance of ACM Neto and Lula’s support in the elections
For the 2024 municipal elections, voters in Salvador welcome the support of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and former mayor ACM Neto.
In a scenario of nomination made by Neto, Paraná Pesquisas recorded a favorable percentage of 33.9% of voters in the capital of Bahia who declared that they would “definitely vote” in a bet supported by the vice-president of União Brasil.
In the case of Lula, the impact of the PT’s nomination is 32% in the Salvador electorate. However, the number of those who would “never vote” for a cable supported by the President of the Republic is even higher, with a rejection of 35.9%. Opposite to Lula, ACM Neto appears below, with 24.3% rejection of support.
Swap sides
Former allies, Geraldo Júnior and Bruno Reis became adversaries after the rupture of the long-standing alliance. The breakup happened during the 2022 general elections.
At the time, with the announcement of Jerônimo Rodrigues’ candidacy for state government, the PT sought to recreate a base with the MDB. For Geraldo Júnior’s party, at first, the objective was to align itself with the base of the current mayor of Salvador, Bruno Reis, and nominate Neto as the party’s representative to the State government.
However, on March 30, 2022, Geraldo Júnior’s name was confirmed as a candidate for vice-governor on the ticket led by Rodrigues. Following the turnaround in the political environment, the then president of the Salvador City Council began opposing Mayor Bruno Reis.
Júnior’s accession to the position of vice-governor on the PT base was articulated in 2022 by Wagner e Costa. The same occurs in the candidacy for Mayor of Salvador. A priori, the PT would launch a candidate from the party, but the unfavorable scenario for PT members in the capital of Bahia led to the abandonment of presenting its own candidate.
See the pre-candidates for Mayor of Salvador in alphabetical order:
– Bruno Reis (União Brasil), mayor of Salvador
– Eslane Silva da Paixão (Unidade Popular), activist
– Geraldo Júnior (MDB), vice-governor of Salvador
– Kléber Rosa (PSOL), civil police officer
– Victor Marzinho (PSTU), Bachelor of Law
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