The Brazilian Election Commission (Tribunal Superior Eleitoral) (TSE), in a preliminary estimate, says that this year’s municipal elections in Brazil will cost US$ 209.5 million (595 million reais). For the sake of comparison, the 2000 municipal elections cost US$ 172.6 million (490.3 million reais).
Thus, each vote will cost the country an average US$2.38 (6.77 reais). In some states, it is much more expensive than in other states. In remote areas, such as the state of Roraima, in the extreme North region, a vote will cost US$ 12.20 (34.76 reais).
In the populous, urban and industrialized state of São Paulo (Southeast region), a vote will cost US$1.32 (3.76 reais).
Sub Judice
The Brazilian Election Commission reports that cases involving 2,702 candidates in yesterday’s municipal elections remain judicially undecided and as such the votes those candidates received are null.
However, appeals may revert this situation for many of them. In practice, that means that the elections for 442 mayors and 2,260 city councilmen remain undecided.
A total of 59 candidates for mayor in the state of São Paulo are in this situation. For city councilman, there are 368 in Rio de Janeiro; Pará has 356 and Bahia has 254. Acre is the state with the fewest candidates with legal problems: only one city council candidate.
The president of the TSE, Sepulveda Pertence, says the appeals should be judged within two weeks.
Agência Brasil
Translator: Allen Bennett