RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has suffered a setback as most of the dozens of candidates he backed for municipal elections failed to secure victories or spots in runoffs.
In more than 5,500 cities, Brazilians voted for mayors and city councilors on Sunday. The wave of political renewal that two years ago catapulted Bolsonaro to the presidency appeared to ebb in the face of well-known candidates and traditional parties, which scored the most votes in the two most populous cities. Of the nearly 60 candidates whom the leader backed, only nine advanced, according to a tally by newspaper Estado de S.Paulo.
Bolsonaro, who is currently not affiliated with any political party, had said he would not get involved in the election campaign, but in recent weeks he turned to social media to promote a dozen candidates for mayor as well as councilor candidates.
Bruno Carazza, a professor of economic law at Brazil’s Ibmec business school, said Bolsonaro had not made a concerted effort to rally supporters in the municipal elections and had lost an opportunity to “prepare the ground for the 2022 elections.″
