Progressive candidate says it’s urgent to defeat far right in Latin America’s largest city elections

Brasil de Fato

Guilherme Boulos from the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) appeared on Brasil de Fato on Wednesday night (4) for a special edition of the Três por Quatro podcast, featuring interviews with the candidates for mayor of São Paulo in the 2024 elections.

The progressive candidate, who is ahead in the polls, began by emphasizing that “we need to understand that this year in São Paulo, we are fighting a battle similar to the one against ‘bolsonarism’ two years ago [when former President Jair Bolsonaro lost to Lula]. We must defeat the far right: this far right that is extremely violent, dangerous, and criminal.”

Latin America’s largest city, São Paulo has an estimated population of approximately 22.8 million, and by 2023, its GDP had grown to around R$ 880 billion (over US$ 158,000). Born in the city, Boulos became prominent in the popular housing movements. A teacher and political activist, he ran for mayor of São Paulo in 2020 but was not elected. In 2022, he was the most-voted federal legislator in the state.

According to Boulos, he faces two major adversaries in his campaign: ‘bolsonarism‘, a political ideology associated with Jair Bolsonaro, and militia banditry – refers to the criminal activities carried out by militia groups. In Brazil, these groups often consist of former or off-duty police officers and military personnel who engage in illegal activities such as extortion, protection rackets, and control over certain territories, particularly in urban areas.

Boulos pointed out that the presence of ‘bolsonarism’ in the form of two candidates is a new and worrying fact in the electoral dispute. He mentioned Pablo Marçal from the Brazilian Labour Renewal Party (PRTB) as a representative of a virulent and violent bolsonarism, characterized by aggressive attacks and a lack of limits. The current mayor and candidate for re-election, Ricardo Nunes from the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB), was described by Boulos as a more moderate ‘bolsonarism’ ally, with ‘good manners’ but equally dangerous.

He also criticized Nunes’ stance, recalling an interview in which the mayor made unfounded accusations against him. According to Boulos, the ideological dispute is one of the central points of this election, with the far-right represented by both Marçal and Nunes. He stressed the importance of fighting these forces to ensure an administration committed to the population’s interests.

Transport, healthcare and private sector

The candidate proposed revising public transport contracts to address the sector’s issues, highlighting that despite the city government’s subsidy nearly doubling, companies have reduced trips by around 20%. “It was during the Ricardo Nunes [current] administration that we witnessed the infiltration of crime into São Paulo’s transportation system,” he said. 

A significant promise regarding the city’s funeral system was made: he stated that, if elected, the contracts with the private companies currently managing the sector will be terminated. Boulos harshly criticized the privatization of the system, arguing that it led to a substantial increase in costs for the population, making funeral services unaffordable for many families. “My goal is to fully restore public control and put an end to this death industry in São Paulo”, he said. 

Boulos also mentioned that this measure is part of a broader set of policies to reduce social inequalities in São Paulo. He emphasized the importance of a public administration committed to the well-being of the population and the provision of quality essential services.

Boulos also defended the creation of mobile Psychosocial Care Center (Caps, in Portuguese) units with street clinics in areas of crack use to tackle the issue of Crackland (Cracolândia, in Portuguese) located in the center of town. In addition, Boulos suggested mental health treatment based on successful experiences in other countries, social assistance, shelter programs with housing and income generation, and the fight against organized crime.   

The latest Datafolha poll, released on August 22, shows Boulos leading with 23% of the votes, followed by Marçal with 21% and Nunes with 19%, all within the three-percentage-point margin of error. The fight against the far-right has been a recurring theme in previous debates, and other candidates have also supported this stance.

Watch the full episode in Portuguese below:

BdF political interviews series

The first interviewee in the Brasil de Fato‘s series of interviews was Altino Prazeres Jr. form the United Socialist Workers’ Party (PSTU, in Portuguese). He proposes a review of privatizations in health and education, as well as ending outsourcing processes such as contracted daycare centers and Social Organizations in health. Prazeres Jr. criticizes the participation of private companies in essential services and suggests nationalizing municipal public transport to implement a zero-fare system. 

A union activist and subway worker for 29 years, Prazeres Jr. was president of the subway workers’ union and was even fired after speaking out against the privatization of the subway, but a court decision reinstated him. Critical of the participation of private companies in the provision of essential services to the population, he makes this the highlight of his campaigns.  

The candidate also criticized the privatizations of the Municipal Funeral Service and the state’s sanitation company (known as Sabesp), both privatized recently. “So the first thing we have to do is say that we don’t have an agreement and carry out a process of mobilization in the city of São Paulo against the privatization of Sabesp.”  

Prazeres also defends policies for sheltering drug users, proposing the hiring of more social workers and the legalization of drugs as a way of tackling the problem. In addition, he is in favor of legal and safe abortion, accompanied by sex education policies.    

Ricardo Senese, candidate of the Popular Unity for Socialism (UP, in Portuguese) was the second interviewee. During the interview, he defended reducing the working day to 30 hours weekly. The measure would aim to increase the number of workers in the market and guarantee a better quality of life, considering transportation time and household chores necessary to do the job.   

The candidate used most of the interview time to stress the importance of fighting fascism and societal structural changes. “We have to behave in a way that looks at the suffering of the people, which is growing in the city,” he said.   

Senese also proposed a progressive tax on large fortunes and popular elections for judiciary members. He highlighted the importance of expanding public services and improving working conditions as his main proposals. 

All candidates were invited, but some canceled their participation and others did not respond to the invitation until this article was written.