Elections in Brazil: lost “ the crack ” and the center-right consolidates its power for 2022

Considered the first electoral test for President Jair Bolsonaro, the municipal elections in Brazil revealed a convergence towards center (traditionally aligned with right) and a distance from Polarization they offer so much Bolsonaro like him PT. Out of the 13 candidates supported by the president – without a party for a year when he slammed the door on the PSL, with which he had won the 2018 elections – they lost 11. On the other side, it is the first times what the PT will not rule any of the Brazilian capitals since 1985.

the PSDB succeeded in consolidating its power in St.Paul: the party stayed with 172 municipalities, including the City of San Pablo or Bruno Covas, an ally of Governor Joao Doria, reelected and imposed on Guilherme Boulos. The elections were particularly good for Doria who now has a more open path for fight Bolsonaro for the presidency in 2022, although former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso He warned that the paulista must start “nationalizing” as soon as possible if he hopes to win.

While the PSDB suffered a setback compared to 2016, the party won in 520 municipalities (which is equivalent to approximately 34 million inhabitants) and preserved some of the most populous cities in the country. the MDB also performed well, scoring victories in 784 municipalities (representing around 26 million people), as does the PSD.

In the territorial stronghold of Bolsonaro, Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes (of DEM, the party to which the powerful also belong leaders of the Chamber of Deputies, Rodrigo Maia, and of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre) succeeded in taking the town hall from the evangelical pastor Marcelo Crivella, an ally of the president. Bolsonaro landfill hit record 40% –Specially driven by the social assistance measures to mitigate the economic effects of pandemic-, the image of the president fell, especially in the capitals, and the municipal elections reflected a new force pattern which shows that polarization will no longer be enough to win the 2022 elections.

But defeat it’s not just a question Bolsonaro: after losing the elections in Recife and Vitoria, the PT there were only 184 towns left and couldn’t win in any capital. In the absence of a candidate capable of winning back the Brazilians, andl PT give up a space that the other young characters on the left like Boulos (PSOL).