The campaign for the municipal elections that Brazil celebrates this Sunday has left a trail of violence with the murder of up to fourteen candidates since the beginning of the year, although the political nature of those attacks is not yet fully clarified.

The data is contained in a report prepared by the Tierra de Derechos institute, a non-governmental organization that studies political violence in Brazil and that, during this year, identified 145 cases of attacks, threats and aggressions directly or indirectly associated with the electoral process.

Among them is the blow with a chair that the center-right candidate José Luiz Datena instold to the far-right Pablo Marçal in an electoral debate in São Paulo, which had a great media impact because it was the largest city in the country and the aggression was broadcast live on television.

But there is also the murder of Marcelo Oliveira, mayor of João Dias, who aspired to re-election in that municipality of 2,000 inhabitants in the interior of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, shot dead in the middle of the street with his father in August.

Oliveira was one of the fourteen candidates for mayor or councilor murdered since the beginning of this year for alleged political reasons, although the police authorities have not yet reached conclusions in any of those cases.

Advertisement

20241211_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20240813_lechematerna_728x91

20240701_vacunacion_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

20230816_dgs_728x90

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

CEL

Corruption and organized crime add to violence

According to the Federal Police, the campaign has also left some 2,200 investigations open for suspected electoral crimes, which include attempts to “buy votes” and possible corruption cases, among many others.

The cases of violence have not been directly linked to the polarization that dominates the country between the progressivism embodied by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the far right led by his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

According to the authorities, they have been associated with local disputes, which are more acute in the small municipalities of the interior, where organized crime has more penetration.

Among the groups suspected of financing candidacies is the First Command of the Capital (PCC), which emerged three decades ago in the prisons of São Paulo and whose tentacles are now expanding throughout the national territory and reach some neighboring countries.

The numbers of the municipal elections in Brazil

The elections will be held in 5,569 cities, in which 500,183 tables are installed to elect the new mayors and members of the municipal assemblies.

Advertisement

20241211_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20240813_lechematerna_728x91

20240701_vacunacion_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

20230816_dgs_728x90

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

CEL

The only one of the 27 regional capitals that will not go to the polls is Brasilia, which is part of the Federal District and has a differentiated administrative regime.

In the 103 municipalities with more than 200,000 voters, there will be a second round on October 27 if none of the mayoral candidates exceeds 50% of the support.

There will be a total of 155,912,680 voters, represented by 52% by women.

Throughout the country there are 15,452 candidates for mayor, but with minimal female participation, since there are 13,128 men and 2,324 women.

Gender disparity also appears in the candidates for councilors. There are 277,869 men and 150,773 women.

Advertisement

20241211_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20240813_lechematerna_728x91

20240701_vacunacion_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

20230816_dgs_728x90

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

CEL

The largest polling stations are the cities of São Paulo, with 9.3 million voters, Rio de Janeiro (5,009,373) and Belo Horizonte (1,992,984).

To ensure peace of mind, all state security forces will be mobilized, as well as 23,000 members of the Armed Forces, who will also participate in the custody of the 571,024 electronic ballot boxes that voters will use.