In the news: Jair Bolsonaro disowned in the first round of municipal elections in Brazil
Jair Bolsonaro greets his supporters in Rio de Janeiro after voting for the municipal elections on November 15, 2020. REUTERS / Ricardo Moraes
Text by: Stefanie Schüler Follow
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This Sunday, the Brazilians were called to the polls to elect their mayors.
The first round of municipal elections was the first ballot organized since the election of Jair Bolsonaro to the presidency two years ago.
The first lesson of these municipalities is the "
abstention rate which stands at 23.14%, 3 points more than in 2018 and 6 points more than four years ago
", reports
Globo
.
According to the opinion of observers, this abstention is explained by the Covid-19 pandemic which killed 165,000 in Brazil.
Second lesson: the success of the traditional parties of the center and the conservative right as well as a few surprises for the left, as in Sao Paulo where Guilherme Boulos, of the Socialism and Freedom Party, qualified for the second round.
And finally third lesson not least: "
l
was
crushing defeat for candidates supported by the head of state and by extension for Jair Bolsonaro itself
," says the
Folha de Sao Paulo
.
To believe the editorial writers, the management or rather the non-management of the health crisis on the part of Jair Bolsonaro played an important role in these municipal elections.
The daily
O Estado
underlines: "
absolute incapacity of the Brazilian government to carry out reforms and to take measures without which the country will not however soon recover from the health, economic and social catastrophe in progress
".
La
Folha de Sao Paulo
points out that “
the mayors who have taken measures to fight the pandemic and who have been supported by the governors who take the coronavirus seriously, have generally obtained good results
”.
"
J
air
Bolsonaro may ignore science, he can not close his eyes to the results of these municipal elections which are a test for his presidency,
" said the editorialist of
O Globo
who continues: "
To compensate for his fall in popularity, the president will be tempted to launch social programs in favor of the quarter of the population who now live below the poverty line and thus ensure the votes of the poor for his re-election in 2022 Only here it is
: the state coffers without hopelessly empty
”.
One million new Covid-19 infections in less than a week in the United States
The 11 million case mark was crossed on Sunday.
And as the trend is for the situation to deteriorate, more and more cities are taking new measures to try to curb the spread of the virus.
Like Chicago in Illinois, where Mayor Lori Lightfoot recommended to its 2.7 million citizens not to receive any guests and to cancel the traditional Thanksgiving holidays.
These are just recommendations, the
Chicago Tribune points out
today.
But the newspaper warns that private meetings are, on a mandatory basis, limited to a maximum of 10 people.
The mayor also called on the residents of Chicago to avoid going out from Monday, except for essential travel, including work and school.
In Chicago and its suburban cities, the opening of schools depends on the decisions of local elected officials.
And "
these elected officials are under pressure
", explains the
Chicago Tribune
.
“
Parents are demanding the reopening of classes that had to close.
While the teachers' unions are calling for the switch to online courses in the face of the spread of the virus in certain schools
”.
Central America braces for Iota's arrival
The hurricane is expected to make landfall this afternoon along the Caribbean coast between Nicaragua and Honduras.
According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Iota is now a Category 4 hurricane in the 5-grade classification.
And it turns out to be particularly dangerous, since it moves slowly.
In Honduras, "
the authorities carried out compulsory evacuations by canoes and helicopters throughout the weekend
," writes
El Heraldo
.
According to the newspaper 18 departments of the country have been placed on red alert.
The situation in Honduras and Nicaragua is particularly critical, because Iota will likely follow the same path as Hurricane Eta, which killed more than 200 people earlier this month.
Guatemala and Panama are also expecting heavy rains.
"
The torrential rains that precede Iota have already inundated several regions in Colombia where thousands of people are trapped in temporary shelters,
"
El Espectador
reports today
.
The newspaper also evokes landslides that affected the departments of Antioquia in the northeast of the country as well as that of Choco, on the border with Panama.
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