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With more than 370,000 votes in his favor, Sebastião Melo (MDB) will be the eleventh mayor of the democratic era in Porto Alegre. The state deputy beat Manuela d’Ávila (PCdoB) in the second round by 54.6% against 45.4%, in the tightest election in recent years in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. The result was a cold rain in the militancy The left in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, which had high expectations after an Ibope poll, published on Saturday night (28), pointed to a technical tie between the candidates, with a slight advantage for the communist candidate.
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“I receive this victory with great humility. I’m going to look at everyone, but especially those who need it most in this city ”, thanked Melo in his first demonstration after confirming the result. The candidate also greeted his opponent, with whom he has “a good relationship.”
The victory speech was held in a hotel in front of the Porto Alegre bus station, a symbolic place for the first mayor of the capital of Rio Grande do Sul born outside the state. Born in the small Piracanjuba, in Goiás, Melo has lived in Porto Alegre for 42 years. “It was here that I got off a bus in Penha in 1978 and came to win the life of that city,” he recalled.
It was in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul where the elected mayor joined the Brazilian Democratic Movement and “enlisted in the ranks to fight against the dictatorship,” as he told EL PAÍS. He was a militant of community movements, was elected councilor three times, was mayor of the city twice and became deputy mayor in 2013.
Now, starting on January 1, he will be challenged to run the city alongside his conservative alliance. Melo has the support of the Democrats, the party of the next Deputy Mayor Ricardo Gomes and the Minister of Citizenship Onyx Lorenzoni. His alliance also includes the PRTB of General Hamilton Mourão, Vice President of the Republic.
To the two authorities of the government of Jair Bolsonaro, he addressed a special thanks in the speech. And he warned that he will ask the supporters of the Bolsonar movement – in the case of federal deputy Bibo Nunes (PSL) – for an audience with the President of the Republic as of Wednesday of this week. According to Melo, “the main topic” of the conversation should be the purchase of the vaccine for covid-19. “I am very convinced that the federal government is going to buy the vaccine. But, if the president does not buy, we will create a consortium of mayors in the Metropolitan Region to guarantee vaccines for all, “he promised.
Melo’s inauguration will come amid the resurgence of the pandemic in the capital, with repercussions on the health and economy of the city. Last Friday, the map of the controlled detachment formulated by the State Government, for the first time since the beginning of the health crisis in all of Rio Grande do Sul, appears completely painted in red, a sign of a high risk of contamination. On Friday, Governor Eduardo Leite (PSDB) admitted that the gauchos are facing a “second wave” of covid-19.
For EL PAÍS, before the elections, Melo acknowledged that “the pandemic is serious”, but amended by saying that “the economy must also be taken into account.” In the week that Porto Alegre resumes measures to reduce personal contact and transmission of the virus, with restrictions on social events, the new mayor must develop a plan to prevent the emergency shutdown (“I don’t want this at all”) and contain the growth in the number of infected, dead and occupied beds. Therefore, he assured that he will create a science and economics committee to make “the best decisions.”
Exciting final stretch sparked militancy from the left
Melo could not be considered a loser in the 2020 elections, but he was not a frank favorite. At first, he shared second place in the electoral polls with two other candidates: the current mayor, Nelson Marchezan Júnior (PSDB), and the former mayor José Fortunati (PTB), of whom he was vice, between 2013 and 2016. But the The former ally’s withdrawal a few days before the first round favored him. He finished the poll with a slight advantage, 13,000 votes, over the opponent and consolidated the position of leader by obtaining the adherence of four opponents to his candidacy in the second round.
Despite the initial disadvantage, in the last week the expectations of the left militancy in Porto Alegre grew, which returned to the streets with force after many elections in which it became more timid. What Manuela d’Ávila recognized in the speech in which she acknowledged the defeat, shortly before 7:00 pm: “You were tireless, you took the streets of our city in a way that we had not seen in a long time,” she praised.
In the second round, Manuela managed to form a broad front that had so many parties that had more left-wing proposals than those of her PCdoB, such as the PSOL, and those more central, as in the case of the PDT. It also brought together photovoltaic environmentalists and garnered national support from artists and presidential candidates.
His candidacy transcended the local debate and had the support of artists such as Chico Buarque and Caetano Veloso, in addition to unifying the voices of three candidates for the presidency of the Republic in 2018: Marina Silva (Rede) and Ciro Gomes (PDT), in addition of Fernando Haddad (PT), together with whom, in 2018, Manuela faced Jair Bolsonaro as a candidate for vice president on Fernando Haddad’s ballot. Now, he has given one more sample of popularity and leadership among the left and ends the campaign as a spokesman for the rejection of Bolsonarism. “Seeing hope in the eyes of men and women is what will inspire us to work for Porto Alegre and for the country,” he promised, at the end of the speech in which he also wished the new mayor luck in the administration that begins in January 2021.
