06/10/2024 – 21:15
The mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes (MDB), and federal deputy Guilherme Boulos (PSOL) advanced to the second stage of the dispute for mayor of the capital of São Paulo after a first round that had become unpredictable. With 99.52% of the ballots counted, the candidate for re-election received 29.49% of the votes and the parliamentarian, 29.06%.
The two managed to surpass Pablo Marçal (PRTB), who came in third place, with 28.14%. The former coach was the big news of the election and had a chance of taking one of them out of the second round.
Without Marçal, the race for mayor returns to its initial polarization: the dispute between Nunes and Boulos. The first is supported by former president Jair Bolsonaro, albeit in a dubious way. The second is President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s bet, even though the PT member participated less than expected in the campaign.
In fourth place was federal deputy Tabata Amaral (PSB), with 9.92% of the votes. Presenter José Luiz Datena (PSDB), who ran for the first time in an election after rehearsing entering politics several times, finished with 1.84%. Economist Marina Helena (Novo) received 1.38% of the votes.
Nunes took office as mayor of São Paulo in May 2021, after the death of mayor Bruno Covas (PSDB). The emedebista was until then the vice-mayor. Previously, he was a councilor in the capital of São Paulo for two terms.
During the campaign, Nunes’ opponents questioned him about corruption suspicions surrounding city hall. One of them is related to a Federal Police investigation investigating alleged misappropriation of funds from children’s schools, a case known as the “daycare mafia”. The mayor denies any involvement.
Nunes also had to respond to a police report alleging domestic violence registered by his wife, Regina Carnovale Nunes, in 2011. Today she denies the attacks.
As a candidate for vice-president, Nunes chose Colonel Ricardo Mello Araújo (PL), former commander of Rota, in a nod to Bolsonaro. The former president, however, resisted joining the campaign and made few gestures towards the emedebista. Many Bolsonarists publicly sided with Marçal, even after the PL formalized support for Nunes.
Boulos was leader of the Homeless Workers Movement (MTST), before being elected federal deputy in 2022. Four years ago, he was defeated in the second round of the dispute for mayor of São Paulo by Covas.
During this year’s campaign, Boulos adopted a strategy to soften his radical image, but he had to respond to questions from opponents about MTST protests.
Marçal even insinuated that Boulos used cocaine, which was denied by the psolista. The former coach also nicknamed the left-wing candidate “Boules”, after an event during his campaign in which the national anthem was sung in neutral language.
Boulos’ vice-president candidate is Marta Suplicy (PT), former mayor of the city who is popular on the outskirts, where the psolista has difficulty getting votes. Part of the voters who voted for Lula in the city in 2022 indicated a preference for Nunes.
The debates were marked by unprecedented aggressiveness. In one of them, promoted by TV Cultura, Datena took a “chair” at Marçal.
In another, organized by the Flow channel, an advisor to the former coach punched Nunes’ campaign marketer, Duda Lima, in the face.
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