The mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes, backed by former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, leads the polls for the reelection in the Paulista capital. According to a survey by the Datafolha Institute, Nunes has 58% of valid votes, surpassing deputy Guilherme Boulos, supported by former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who would receive 42% of the ballots, excluding blank and null votes.
Datafolha shows that Nunes, of the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB), also leads the preference including blank and null votes, with 49% of voting intentions, compared to 35% for Boulos, of the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL). Although the difference has narrowed to 14 points, it remains wide and in favor of the current mayor.
The survey was based on 1,204 face-to-face interviews with people aged 16 and older, conducted on the 22nd and 23rd of this month, with a margin of error of three percent. Nunes won the first round of the elections by a narrow margin over Boulos and ultra-businessman Pablo Marçal, who came in third as a self-proclaimed "antisystem" candidate.
Amid a polarized electoral campaign, Brazil is preparing for the second round of municipal elections this Sunday, which is anticipated as a showdown between the far-right led by Bolsonaro and the progressivism represented by Lula. With more than fifty cities in contention, the political landscape in the South American country reflects ideological tensions and growing polarization.
