Worker’s Party dealt major blow in Brazil’s municipal elections

World Today

Citizens across Brazil voted for mayors and council members in their communities Sunday. But the local elections were also important for another reason as they could indicate the mood of the electorate ahead of Brazil’s next presidential election in about two years.

Citizens across Brazil voted for mayors and council members in their communities Sunday. But the local elections were also important for another reason as they could indicate the mood of the electorate ahead of Brazil’s next presidential election in about two years.

CCTV America’s Paulo Cabral reports.

Brazil’s nationwide municipal elections had one clear loser: the leftist Workers Party of impeached President Dilma Rousseff. Voters punished the party’s candidates amid a stream of corruption allegations and an economic crisis over the last couple of years.

Four years ago the Worker’s Party won 630 cities in the first round of voting, more than double the figure this year.

The main opponents – the Social Democratic Party (PSDB) – went the other way, growing from 686 wins in 2012 to almost 800 mayors elected now.

This was the first vote in Brazil since the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff. The municipal elections are widely seen as test run for the country’s political forces as they prepare for the 2018 Presidential contest.