Brazilian Landless Workers Score Important Victories in Municipal Elections
Maira Marinho, a MST councilor in Rio de Janeiro. X/ @brasildefato
October 7, 2024 Hour: 9:29 am
Guilherme Boulos also advanced to the second round in the race for the mayoralty of Sao Paulo.
On Sunday, millions of Brazilians went to the polls to elect mayors and councilors in 5,569 cities. The Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) made significant progress with the election of 39 councilors in 15 Brazilian states.
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These victories represent a milestone for the MST, which organized nationally for the first time to present around 700 candidates committed to the fight for social and environmental rights in 367 municipalities across 22 states. This expansion of the MST’s political participation reflects the movement’s commitment to democratizing access to land, producing healthy food through agroecology, and combating inequality.
The MST secured 58 percent of its candidacies in the Northeast region and 19 percent in the Southeast, highlighting its strength, primarily concentrated in rural communities. The MST also achieved another highly significant victory: the election of Maira Marinho as a councilwoman for the Rio de Janeiro City Council.
“It is necessary to build policies and bills that contribute to ending people’s hunger… The MST has a series of tools, such as community kitchens and solidarity hours, that can contribute both to popular organization and the fight against hunger,” said Marinho, who is professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) and activist of the Popular Brazil Movement.
In the state of Sao Paulo, the MST also secured the election of Rogerio Toso in Rosana and Willian da Gleba in Euclides da Cunha Paulista, two citizens committed to advancing agrarian and ecological policies.
The MST has insisted that its candidates are not only seeking to occupy positions of power but are focused on promoting structural change through public policies that benefit both urban and rural workers. Its main demands are related to fighting food insecurity and defending the environment.
In a context marked by increasing political polarization, the MST also faced the challenge of countering the influence of far-right forces that supported former President Jair Bolsonaro and remain active in many Brazilian territories.
Another surprise in the subnational elections was the rise of the Homeless Workers’ Movement (MTST). Its leader, Guilherme Boulos, advanced to the second round in the race for the mayoralty of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest city. He represents one of the most prominent emerging figures on the Brazilian left, and his progress reflects growing support for popular causes across the country.
teleSUR/ JF Sources: Brasil de Fato – MST
