The Latin American Report # 352

The giant elects

In Brazil, the right-wing gave a blow on the table in the second round of the municipal elections held this Sunday. One of the most closely watched races was the one in Sao Paulo, South America's largest city, where the moderate conservative Ricardo Nunes was finally reelected with low-profile backing from former president Jair Bolsonaro. In fact, according to AP reports, he did not mention the controversial conservative politician—if at all in passing—as one of the actors who helped him retain the mayoralty of Sao Paulo. Experts point out that both Lula and Bolsonaro underperformed. For example, the Workers´ Party leader saw his political force achieve only one victory out of the fights it was involved in this Sunday.

In total, 13 of the 15 capitals in dispute went to candidates who move between center-right and right-wing political tendencies, in the case of the latter not necessarily inscribed in the (extreme) line of Bolsonaro, who lost close clashes in the cities of Belo Horizonte (against a center-right candidate) and Fortaleza (against a Lula candidate, by less than 1%). Bolsonaro won four outright victories in state capital cities, out of nine he was seeking (another important loss for him occurred in Goiânia, the capital of the eminently agricultural state of Goias, against a conservative rival supported by the center-right governor there). The right-wing swept the Amazonian capitals, appealing to options also somewhat distanced from Bolsonaro's influence.

_{Ricardo Nunez (source).}

In some cases, only right-wing parties made it to the second round, which shows their momentum. It is also not easy for the head of state to transfer to the local level his national convening capacity. In total, 51 mayoralties of cities with more than 200,000 voters were at stake this Sunday, in a process for which nearly 34 million citizens of the South American giant were summoned. It is usually a good indication of the dynamics that could characterize the next presidential elections in terms of voting intentions. However, we are two years away yet. The current head of the Planalto Palace, "governing" without much organic congressional muscle, is still deciding whether or not to run for reelection.

Attack against Evo Morales denounced

Bolivian political chaos added a new event this Sunday after the former president denounced having been the victim of an armed attack allegedly supported—or executed by—security forces, identifying a specific military unit. Morales alleged via X to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights that “elite agents of the Bolivian State [attempted against] his life”, hours after a communiqué attributed to his MAS faction said that the vehicle transporting him to his radio program had been hit with 14 bullet shots and that the driver had been wounded.

The coca growers union leader also denounced in his radio program that “the government reactivates joint operations between police, military and paramilitary forces to direct the repression and attempt against the lives of [people conducting road blockades]”, about the pressure measures executed by forces loyal to him—protesting against the state of the economy and also defending his interests in judicial and electoral matters—that have the country in check. The government had denounced on Saturday that Morales is trying to destabilize by betting on “interrupting the democratic order”.

“An immediate and thorough investigation to clarify the event [of Sunday]” demanded the head of the Casa Grande del Pueblo, leading the other MAS faction. Government sources have labeled the attack denounced by Morales as staged, but the same was said of a coup attempt in June by the former president and other opposition factors. Then? The political climate is intensely heated due to a chronic shortage of dollars and fuels, while natural gas exports have been diminished by several factors that for some experts include a lack of management.

All of this has resulted in an accelerated and, for many, unmanageable rise in the cost of living in Bolivia. Arce claims that it is something he inherited, while Morales blames him for practically all the responsibility. The former president is being investigated for alleged abuse of a minor, a case which has resurfaced in the current context, also marked by a new and controversial attempt by Evo to appear on the ballot for the next presidential elections.

_Source

Some updates via X

In the next report I will comment on the elections in Uruguay 👇.

Bad Bunny, a controversial artist who always takes a side in politics 👇.

More on Trump's campaign, Puerto Rico 👇.

And this is all for our report today. I have referenced the sources dynamically in the text, and remember you can learn how and where to follow the LATAM trail news by reading my work here. Have a nice day.