Opposition does the math and dreams of a second round in BH.
Even with Mayor Marcio Lacerda (PSB) being the favorite, and having the support of both PSDB and PT members, the second round is considered certain for his reelection campaign. The argument is that all of them received very good votes in the capital in the last elections, especially Leonardo Quinto (PMDB), Eros Biondini (PTB), and Dlio Malheiros (PV). Votes from Catholics and Evangelicals could also help.
Minas 247 - That the mayor of Belo Horizonte, Marcio Lacerda, is the favorite in the October elections is beyond doubt. The PSB candidate seeking re-election will have TV time (he will have the support of the PT and PSDB, in a large coalition with almost 20 parties), will have the machinery of the state and municipal governments in his favor, and the help of the three most important political leaders in Minas Gerais: Senator Aécio Neves, Minister Fernando Pimentel, and former mayor Patrus Ananias.
But the opposition candidates aren't throwing in the towel. They're doing the math to show that the chance of a second round in Belo Horizonte is real. After that, the election is a different story, and an upset could happen.
The candidates tasked with defeating Lacerda were, in fact, very well-voted in the capital in 2010. The main one is Leonardo Quintão, the likely candidate for the PMDB. In 2008, he had already had a surprising performance in the elections, technically tying with Lacerda in the first round and losing in the second. Two years later, he would achieve 68.163 votes in Belo Horizonte, the highest vote count for a candidate for federal deputy in the capital of Minas Gerais.
Also in Brasília, federal deputy Eros Biondini, from the PTB party, received 208.058 votes in 2010, of which 47.602 were in the capital – the fourth most voted for the position in the city. Biondini is religious and linked to the Charismatic Renewal group, a Catholic church group that grew significantly, especially in the late 1980s and 1990s. The expectation is that this will help the PTB deputy garner votes this year.
Délio Malheiros, a state representative for the Green Party (PV), received 39.560 votes in 2010 and was the third most voted candidate in the capital. He lost only to two former soccer players, Marques and João Leite, both idols of Atlético-MG fans – although the latter's vote count today is no longer so closely linked to his sporting days. Malheiros worked in several consumer protection agencies in the state. To this day, he bases a reasonable part of his parliamentary work as a lawyer in this area, which, of course, yields votes. “A second round in Belo Horizonte is an inevitable fact,” says Malheiros. “The only question is who I'll be running against.”
Besides these three main candidates, the opposition is counting on the votes of smaller parties, such as the PSTU – which may gain some traction among left-wing voters disillusioned with the Lacerda government and especially with the PT-PSDB alliance. Parties supporting the mayor are threatening to launch the national president of the Quadrangular Gospel Church, federal deputy Mário de Oliveira (PSC), in the October elections. In 2010, he received 35.642 votes.