Municipal in Brazil: sanction vote against Jair Bolsonaro
A voter uses his fingerprint to vote at a polling station in Igarape Miri, in the Brazilian state of Para, during the municipal elections of November 15, 2020. Tarso Sarraf / AFP
Text by: Achim Lippold Follow
5 mins
This Sunday, November 29 will take place the second round of municipal elections in Brazil.
A ballot that serves as a test for Jair Bolsonaro, halfway through his term, two years after his election.
The far-right president did not "pass" the test.
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Almost
all of the candidates Jair Bolsonaro supported were rejected by voters
.
Beyond the purely local issues, there was a “
sanction vote
”, explains Hervé Théry, professor at the University of São Paulo.
In 2018, Jair Bolsonaro had benefited during his election from a reflex "
everything except the Workers' Party (PT), and even if it is Bolsonaro
".
Today, the reflex has reversed.
And the president finds himself the victim of an antipathy more and more widespread among the voters:
"everything except Bolsonaro".
This motto did not spare the candidates who presented themselves under the name of the president.
Because it is one of the curiosities of the elections in Brazil: the candidates can present themselves under any nickname.
The voters thus had the choice between several Obamas, several Trumps and also dozens of Bolsonaro.
All were eliminated except one, Carlos Bolsonaro - a real one, the son of the president.
He was re-elected municipal councilor of Rio de Janeiro but with a third of the votes less than four years ago.
The classic right, the big winner of the poll
The big winner of this election is the so-called “classic” right which is consolidating its power or is coming back in force.
Hervé Théry explains it above all by the usual "
bonus to the outgoing mayor
" given by voters.
Since the defeat of the PT in the last municipal elections in 2016, the right is well established locally.
"
They control the town halls with sometimes democratic methods, sometimes not really democratic, because there is a lot of corruption
, underlines the specialist.
There is in the Brazilian electorate, especially among the underprivileged, the idea that it does not matter in fact the political color, as long as the mayor has a good mandate and that he redistributes, in a patronage manner, a little money.
"
The right should also return to power in Rio de Janeiro.
Former mayor Eduardo Paes has every chance of resuming his mandate lost in 2016 this Sunday, despite an open corruption investigation against him.
His rival, the outgoing mayor Marcelo Crivella, an evangelical pastor supported by Jair Bolsonaro, is largely the loser in the second round.
The return of the classic right in this case also shows, underlines the political scientist Gaspard Estrada, that the
“
anti-establishment, anti-political class speech of Jair Bolsonaro has lost its force
”.
The left regains color
Another lesson from this election: the left, devastated by the election of Jair Bolsonaro in 2018, has resumed colors.
Young candidates, often more to the left than the PT, obtained good scores.
In São Paulo, a former activist for homeless workers is contesting the second round against the outgoing right-wing mayor, Bruno Covas.
Member of the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL), Guilherme Boulos, 38, is considered a possible successor to Lula.
He built his campaign on social issues and on his commitments to disadvantaged people living in the suburbs of the country's economic capital.
In Porto Alegre, Manuela d'Avila, also young (39 years old), qualified for the second round under the communist label of the PCdoB, but by making an alliance with the PT.
The debate on racism takes place in the campaign
These municipalities are obviously marked by
the Covid-19 pandemic which is still wreaking havoc in Brazil
, with a new increase in hospitalizations in recent weeks.
The health crisis and fear of contagion have resulted in a record abstention of more than 20% while voting is compulsory in Brazil.
But in recent days, another debate has taken place in the campaign: that on racism.
Last week a black man was beaten to death by two security officers in Porto Alegre.
Brazil is living its “George Floyd” moment with great outrage over the violent death of
João Alberto Silveira Freitas
.
"
Is there racism in the country or not?"
This is a strong question that comes up on the eve of this municipal election
,
”
underlines Hervé Théry.
According to him, thanks to the quotas put in place by the institutions, among others for the elections, never so many Afro-Brazilian candidates have participated in a local election.
In fact, for the first time, the candidates considering themselves as “white” were in the minority.
A paradox in a country which voted in 2018 in favor of a far-right candidate?
No, explains Hervé Thery, because we must not forget that Jair Bolsonaro was elected by rejection of the PT rather than by complete support for his speech and his racist, macho and homophobic positions.
► To read also: Municipal in Brazil: setback for the candidates supported by President Jair Bolsonaro
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