Four weeks to go: everything you need to know about Brazil’s municipal elections

Brasil de Fato

This year municipal elections are right around the corner. On October 6, nearly half a million (458,247) candidates will be chosen between mayors and deputy mayors in 5,569 cities across the country and approximately 58,000 councilors. The scenario between left and right repeats the polarised presidential elections in 2022 although municipal elections are focused more on local issues, such as urban infrastructure, health, and education.

The polls show that four candidates supported by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Workers’ Party (PT) in state capitals appear as favorite mayoral candidates. On the other side of the political spectrum, backed by former president Jair Bolsonaro from the right wing Liberal Party (PL) are in 10 of the country’s 26 capitals. Four of these are from PL, his party.  

All eyes are on São Paulo. With an estimated population of 11 million, its GDP, which grew to around R$ 880 billion (over US$ 158,000) in 2023, makes it one of the wealthiest cities in Latin America. The leftwing candidate Guilherme Boulos from the Socialism and Liberty Party (Psol) with 23% virtually draws with the far-right populist Pablo Marçal from PRTB, and the current mayor Ricardo Nunes – also representing the far right – from MDB, supported by Bolsonaro, have 22% of the votes. This fierce and polarized dispute is repeated in other Brazilian municipalities.  

Who is who?  

Let’s start with the Southeast. Of the 35 candidates running in the four capitals of the Southeast, only six are Black, and one is Indigenous. Of this total, 27 are men and 8 are women. In São Paulo, all ten candidates are white, and only two are women.  

The only Indigenous people running in a capital election is Capitão Assumção (PL), who will be trying to win the Vitória (Espirito Santo) governorship, which six candidates will contest. There will be ten candidates in Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais) and nine in Rio de Janeiro.  

São Paulo (São Paulo)  

São Paulo mayor candidates: Guilherme Boulos, Pablo Marçal e Ricardo Nunes – Photo: Rafa Neddermeyer/Agência Brasil; Reprodução/ Band TV; Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil

Guilherme Boulos (Psol): the candidate supported by President Lula is a federal deputy and social activist known for his work with the Homeless Workers’ Movement (MTST).   

Pablo Marçal (PRTB): He is a digital influencer and businessman which was convicted of scamming in the beggining of the century. The candidate was temporarily suspended from social media by São Paulo Electoral Court due to accusations of abuse of economic power. His skyrocketing levels of aproval (jumpimng from 7% to more than 20% in 2 weeks) put the political scenario in disarray;.

Ricardo Nunes (MDB): He is the current mayor of São Paulo and he claims to be the heir of Bolsonarism in São Paulo. 

Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro)   

Current mayor Eduardo Paes, the leftwing candidate from the Social Democratic Party (PSD) has 59% of the vote. he is followed by far right Alexandre Ramagem (PL) and lefwinger Tarcísio Motta (Psol), with 11% and 6% respectively.   

Belo Horizonte (Belo Horizonte)   

Right winger Mauro Tramonte (Republicans) leads with 27% of voting intentions. Fuad Noman (PSD): Current mayor of Belo Horizonte. Bruno Engler (PL): State representative and conservative activist. Duda Salabert (PDT): Councilor and activist for LGBTQIA+ rights.  

South  

Porto Alegre 

The current mayor right-winger Sebastião Melo (MDB) has 40% of the voting intentions, against 32% for leftwinger Maria do Rosário. In third place is also from the left Juliana Brizola, with 13%

At this place, some Bolsonaro supporters’ candidates are “look-alikes” of Argentinian President Javier Milei. You read right. Campaign costumes include a wig and even sideburns. In Santa Catarina, Ademar Meireles adopts the name “Milei of Floripa” in his campaign for councilor in the city. Current mayor Topázio Neto has 40% of the vote for re-election in Florianópolis. 

Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul), Florianópolis (Santa Catarina), and Curitiba (Paraná), the three capitals of the South, will have 27 candidates running for mayor. Of these, 24 are white, and only three are Black. There will be only six female candidates and 21 male candidates. The capital with the most candidates is Curitiba (10), followed by Florianópolis (9) and Porto Alegre (8). The United Socialist Workers’ Party (PSTU) and the Workers’ Cause Party (PCO) are the only parties with candidates in the three capitals. Of the 29 parties registered in the country, 19 will run in the southern elections.  

Midwest  

In terms of gender, 15 are men, and four are women. In Cuiabá (Mato Grosso), four male candidates will participate in the mayoral race. Candidates Abílio Brunini and Eduardo Botelho are technically tied for the lead with 31.8% and 31.5%. 

Of the seven candidates in Goiânia (Goiânia), only one is a woman. The Midwest has the fewest candidates in the race for the capital, just 19. Of these, 14 are white, and five are Black. Candidates Adriana Accorsi has 22%; Vanderlan Cardoso and Sandro Mabel tied with 19%. 

Three of the eight candidates in Campo Grande (Mato Grosso do Sul) are Black. Beto Pereira, who will run for mayor of Campo Grande, is the only candidate in the region who has changed his racial self-declaration. In the 2020 elections, he was white, and this year, he presented himself as brown. Candidate Rose Modesto has 33% of voting. In second place, Pereira 15%, and in third Adriane Lopes with 14%.  

Northeast  

Sixty-six candidates are running for mayor of the nine northeastern capitals. Of these, 36 are Black, 30 are White, 52 are Men, and 14 are Women.

Former federal deputy Capitão Wagner is leading the race for mayor of Fortaleza (Ceará) with 28.5%. In Teresina (Piauí), former mayor Silvio Mendes is leading the race with 46% of the vote. In Recife, the current mayor, João Campos, is leading the mayoral race with 74%. 

In Salvador (Bahia), current mayor and candidate for re-election Bruno Reis has 68.3% of the vote.

North     

In Manaus (Amazonas), Mayor David Almeida continues to lead the voting intentions with 35%. In Boa Vista (Roraima), the current mayor, Arthur Henrique, has 65%. In Palmas (Tocantins), candidate Janad Valcari with 42%

The only Asian candidate running in the Brazilian capital is Mauro Nakashima, who will try to be elected mayor of Boa Vista. Of the 44 candidates from the North, 29 are Black, 14 are white, 35 are men, and nine are women. The Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) (5), Novo (4), Brazil Union (4), PL (4), (Podemos) (3), Psol (3), and PSTU (3) are the parties with the most significant number of candidates in the northeastern capitals. In all, 20 parties will participate in the electoral race in the region.  

Voting  

Voting is done through an electronic ballot box. The digital device used in Brazilian elections to record votes was introduced in 1996 to modernize and speed up the electoral process.  

The voter enters the number of the candidate or party of their choice and confirms their vote by pressing the “Confirm” button. If they make a mistake, they can correct it by pressing “Correct.” The ballot box also has the Blank Vote: When voters decide not to vote for any candidate, they can press the “blank” button on the ballot box. This means he is not expressing a preference for any available candidates. Null Vote: A null vote occurs when the voter enters a number that does not correspond to any candidate or party, such as “00”. This is seen as a form of protest, indicating that the voters do not approve of any available options. None of these votes are valid. The machine also has features for voters with disabilities, such as a Braille keyboard and audio output.  

The ballot box is not connected to the internet, which prevents cyberattacks. It uses encryption and digital signatures to record votes securely and anonymously. After voting closes, the ballot box generates a box with the total number of votes. This data is then securely transmitted to the Regional Electoral Courts and finally to the Superior Electoral Court, where it is totaled.

According to the Brazilian Federal Constitution, there are two categories of the electorate in elections: voting is compulsory for voters between the ages of 18 and 70 and optional for illiterate voters, young people aged 16 and 17, and those over 70.  

If the absence is not justified, the voter’s title will not be valid, and the person will be prevented from taking out a passport or identity card, taking up a public position, obtaining a loan from public institutions with credit maintained by the government, and other restrictions.  

The first round of the 2024 Elections is scheduled for October 6. In cities with more than 200,000 voters, the second round will take place (if necessary) on October 27.