Guilherme Boulos and Marta Suplicy

Image: Sergio Souza
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By CARLOS EDUARDO BELLINI BORENSTEIN*

The first step in the construction of the Broad Front in São Paulo

Federal deputy Guilherme Boulos (PSOL-SP) and former mayor Marta Suplicy began the construction of the agreement that will result in an alliance for the dispute for Mayor of São Paulo (SP). The next steps of this agreement will be Marta Suplicy's membership in the PT and the confirmation of her name as Boulos' deputy.

The dialogue between Guilherme Boulos and Marta Suplicy inaugurates the construction of a Broad Front in the capital of São Paulo to defeat Bolsonarism, as former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) supports the mayor of SP and pre-candidate for re-election, Ricardo Nunes (MDB ).

The Boulos-Marta alliance reissues the idea of ​​the Broad Front that made possible the victorious ticket between president Lula (PT) and vice-president Geraldo Alckmin (PSB) in the 2022 elections. Despite Geraldo Alckmin being more in the center than Marta Suplicy , the composition with the former mayor represents the range possible for Guilherme Boulos, since attracting parties further to the center is unlikely, as the majority of these parties are part of Ricardo Nunes' base and are expected to support him in October.

Even returning to the PT, Marta Suplicy has had disagreements with the party in her career. It is worth remembering that she left the party in 2015. And she voted in favor of the impeachment of former president Dilma Rousseff (PT). As paradoxical as it may seem, Marta Suplicy will act as a counterpoint to the more orthodox sectors of the left.

More than that, the Boulos-Marta ticket pushes Ricardo Nunes to the right. In the 2020 elections, Marta Suplicy supported then-mayor Bruno Covas (PSDB) in the dispute against Guilherme Boulos. Thus, by attracting Marta Suplicy to Guilherme Boulos' side, an important piece, which was previously an ally of Ricardo Nunes, was won.

In addition to the experience of having already been mayor, Marta Suplicy retains important electoral capital in São Paulo. Marta was a four-time candidate for mayor of SP. Three by the PT (2000, 2004 and 2008) and one by the PMDB (2016). She was victorious in 2000 when she defeated Paulo Maluf (PPB). In that election, Marta had 34,40% of the valid votes in the first round, and 58,51% in the second round. In the other three disputes, she was defeated. In 2004, when she was seeking re-election, she lost to José Serra (PSDB). Marta won 35,82% of the valid votes in the first round, and 45,12% in the second round.

In the 2008 election, Marta Suplicy lost again. She challenged then-mayor Gilberto Kassab (DEM), who was seeking re-election. Marta Suplicy had 32,79% of valid votes in the first round, and 39,28% in the second round. In 2016, Marta Suplicy was again a candidate, this time for the PMDB. Marta Suplicy won 10,14% of the valid votes, placing fourth in the first round.

In the 2020 elections, Guilherme Boulos (PSOL) obtained 20,24% of valid votes in the first round and 40,62% in the second round. Despite the defeat to Bruno Covas in that election, Guilherme Boulos managed to establish himself as the main opposition to the administration that has commanded the capital of São Paulo since 2017.

In 2016, João Doria, then a member of the PSDB, was elected mayor with Bruno Covas (PSDB) as his deputy. With João Doria's resignation to run for governor in 2018, Bruno Covas took over as City Hall, being re-elected in 2020. However, in 2021, due to the early death of Bruno Covas, Ricardo Nunes inherited command of the capital of São Paulo. , now mayor.

In relation to 2020, Guilherme Boulos signals an expansion of alliance policy. In the previous election, his running partner was former mayor Luiza Erundina (PSOL). In other words, Guilherme Boulos had a “pure plate” composition. This year, his vice-president should be Marta Suplicy. Furthermore, in 2020, the Boulos-Erundina coalition consisted only of PSOL, PCB and UP. In October, the future Boulos-Marta composition should unite PSOL, PT, PCdoB, PV, REDE, PDT and UP.

Although the alliance with Marta Suplicy is in the center-left camp, it fulfills an important strategic objective, as it pushes Ricardo Nunes into the Bolsonarist camp, nationalizing the municipal dispute. In the 2022 elections, in the capital of São Paulo, Lula beat Jair Bolsonaro in the second round (53,54% to 46,46% of valid votes). And Fernando Haddad surpassed Tarcísio de Freitas among voters in the capital (54,41% to 45,49%).

As the Boulos-Marta ticket has the active participation of President Lula, the electoral debate will inevitably be nationalized. In addition to Lula's presence, the political weight of São Paulo and the interests of Jair Bolsonaro and Tarcísio de Freitas, who will work for Ricardo Nunes, also contribute to this nationalization. However, the debate will also be local, as occurs in every municipal election.

As the clash with Bolsonarism is favorable to Lula and there is a changeist feeling in the capital after seven years of command of the same political group, there is an advantage for Guilherme Boulos in the dispute. However, there are also challenges ahead, such as, for example, the construction of the Broad Front, symbolized in Paulo Freire's classic phrase: “unite the divergent to defeat the antagonistic”.

*Carlos Eduardo Bellini Borenstein.is a political scientist and Master's student in Social Communication at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS).


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