MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Setback for President Lula da Silva in municipal elections.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's Workers Party (PT) suffered a serious setback on Sunday during the municipal elections runoff with the loss of two main strongholds in the cities of Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre.

Sao Paulo current Mayor Marta Suplicy, Lula's close ally and fellow Socialist, lost to Jose Serra, 62, a member of the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB) and presidential candidate in 2002 when he was defeated by Mr. Lula da Silva. Before that Mr.Serra occupied the Planning and Public Health ministries under former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1994/2002). Preliminary results indicate Mr. Serra will win 55% of the vote and incumbent Ms. Marta Suplicy 45%. With 7.7 million voters, Sao Paulo is the largest electoral district in Brazil and political analysts described the fight for the city government as an anticipation of the 2006 presidential elections.

President Lula da Silva also suffered a significant defeat in Porto Alegre, the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul and the ruling party's stronghold in the south of the country where it has ruled uninterruptedly since 1988. Opposition leader Jose Fogaza from the Popular Socialist Party (PPS) said he was "undisputedly the favourite in the election", and with 93% of votes polled he managed 53%, defeating PT candidate Raul Pont with 46%. Political analysts consider that the PT defeat in Porto Alegre, a city that became the home of global firebrand radicals when it hosted the World Social Forum, is evidence of severe popular support erosion after 16 years of Lula's party rule.

However, overall it can be said that the PT managed to advance steadily in the municipal elections of October 3 with runoffs this Sunday. From 187 municipal gains in 2000, Mr. Lula da Silva's party jumped to 402 earlier this month and an extra 23 out of 43 in Sunday's runoff.

Another important defeat for President Lula da Silva was Curitiba, capital of Parana state and the second-most-important city in south Brazil. PT's candidate Angelo Vanhoni managed 45% of the vote against the 55% of winner Alberto Richa from PSDB. Another city in south Brazil won by the opposition PSDB was Florianopolis, Santa Catarina state capital where its candidate, Dario Berger, managed 58% of the vote.

But PT was triumphant in Fortaleza, capital of the north-eastern state of Ceara, where the party had ironically turned its back on its own candidate, Luizianne Lins in the first round of voting, only to support her in the runoff. Ms. Lins finally won with 56% of the vote against 44% for Moroni Torgan from the Liberal Front Party (PFL).

PT also defeated the PSDB in Vitoria, capital of the South-eastern state of Espiritu Santo. Joao Coser's obtained 58% of the vote and Cesar Colnago's 42%. Another setback for PT was Goiania, capital of the central state of Goias where Iris Rezende with the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) swept through with 56% against a modest 44% for incumbent Pedro Wilson.

A landmark of these municipal elections was the victory of Joao Henrique Carneiro from the Democratic Labour Party who on becoming the next Mayor of Salvador, capital of Bahia puts an end to four decades rule of the all notorious powerbroker Antonio Carlos Magalhaes. Mr. Carneiro was ahead with 75% of the vote against 22% for Cesar Borges from PFL, who was Mr. Magalhaes chosen heir of the city's government.

A total of 27 million Brazilians were entitled to vote this Sunday in the municipal runoff for 15 state capital cities and another 28 with a population above 200,000.