Voters in Brazil's largest city reelect mayor, who detaches from Bolsonaro

SAO PAULO — 

Voters successful Brazil's biggest city, Sao Paulo, connected Sunday reelected politician Ricardo Nunes pursuing a tumultuous run that had pitted him against a leftist state of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Nunes, who received lukewarm enactment from erstwhile President Jair Bolsonaro successful the campaign, distanced himself from the far-right person successful his triumph speech.

Nunes, who inherited the mayorship aft Bruno Covas died of crab successful 2021, had astir 60% of the ballot to unafraid different 4 years connected the job, predetermination officials said. He topped lawmaker Guilherme Boulos successful the runoff which followed a archetypal circular of voting connected Oct. 7.

The reelected politician did not notation Bolsonaro arsenic 1 of the radical who helped him triumph and championed Sao Paulo Gov. Tarcisio de Freitas, an state of the far-right leader. The erstwhile president's blimpish basal was divided successful Sao Paulo by Nunes and Pablo Marçal, who narrowly mislaid a spot successful Sunday's runoff.

Nunes thanked "the biggest leader, without whom we could not person had this victory, and that's Governor Tarcisio de Freitas."

Carlos Melo, a governmental subject prof astatine Insper University successful Sao Paulo, said some Lula and Bolsonaro suffered defeats successful the assorted mayoral elections held successful Brazil.

"Neither person a affirmative tally successful these elections. Bolsonaro was hidden successful respective places. Wherever helium appeared excessively much, helium lost," Melo told The Associated Press.

"Lula mislaid the story that helium tin transportation votes," helium added. "It isn't that simple, these are antithetic times. His medication mightiness bash comparatively good successful the economy, but it doesn't thrill anyone truthful far. The president had a large stake successful Sao Paulo, successful the metropolis of Natal, and did not win."

Earlier, Gov. de Freitas added different section to the metropolis' troubled election. He claimed during a property conference, without providing evidence, that constabulary had detected an endorsement of Boulos by transgression enactment PCC.

Boulos, who often accused Nunes of harboring members of the transgression radical successful his administration, said successful a property league the politician should beryllium arrested for his comments during the vote.

The leftist campaigner said helium was not going to present "a loser's speech" aft Nunes' victory.

"We mislaid an election, but successful this campaign, we recovered the dignity of Brazil's left," Boulos said. The national lawmaker volition beryllium nether unit to permission his Socialism and Liberty Party for Lula's Workers' Party aft the election.

Most of the attraction successful this year's municipal elections successful Brazil has been connected Sao Paulo, wherever the archetypal circular of voting was marred by episodes of violence. Boulos, a longtime lodging advocator for the poor, had his 2nd consecutive decision successful the race.

Other Brazilian cities with much than 200,000 registered voters were besides holding mayoral elections.

In Rio de Janeiro, incumbent Mayor Eduardo Paes was reelected successful the archetypal circular for his fourth, non-consecutive term. Paes, an enthusiastic instrumentality of Carnival, had Lula's enactment but focused his run connected section issues against Bolsonaro's candidate, Alexandre Ramagem.

Brazilians were besides watching intimately for results successful Belo Horizonte, 1 of the country's biggest cities, wherever Mayor Fuad Noman bushed pro-Bolsonaro campaigner Bruno Engler.

The ballot successful Fortaleza, different of the nation's biggest cities, was a dormant vigor betwixt the campaigner from Lula's Workers' Party, Evandro Leitão, and pro-Bolsonaro challenger André Fernandes. Leitão won by little than 1%.