Sao Paulo mayor's race heads to a runoff without a controversial outsider in Brazil's elections

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Incumbent Ricardo Nunes and leftist lawmaker Guilherme Boulos will face each other in a runoff to decide the next mayor of Sao Paulo, following a first round of voting Sunday in Brazil’s local elections.

Nunes, Boulos and self-help guru turned far-right politician Pablo Marçal were running neck-and-neck ahead of Sunday’s vote. Marçal only just missed out on earning a spot in the second round, slated for Oct. 27.

Much of the attention leading up to Sunday’s vote had been on Brazil ’s biggest city, where the race has been marred by episodes of violence involving Marçal.

Last month, José Luiz Datena, a former TV anchor turned candidate, slammed Marçal with a metal chair during a televised debate following references to allegations of sexual misconduct. In a later debate, an aide to Marçal punched an adversary’s counterpart, resulting in a bloody face.

Marçal sparked more controversy on Friday, when he published on social media a falsified medical report indicating cocaine use by Boulos. The document was widely debunked by local media that pointed to inconsistencies including the fact that it was signed by a doctor who had died.

Boulos, a 42-year-old longtime campaigner for housing rights who is backed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, vehemently denied the veracity of the document. On Saturday, a judge sitting on Sao Paulo’s electoral court ordered the suspension of Marçal’s Instagram account for 48 hours and deemed that there are “indications of various offenses under the Electoral Code.”

Some of former President Jair Bolsonaro ’s political base has been drawn to Marçal, enthralled by his fiery rhetoric, although the far-right leader is supporting Nunes.

In Rio de Janeiro, incumbent Mayor Eduardo Paes was reelected for a fourth, non-consecutive term, after winning an absolute majority of votes in the first round.

Paes, an enthusiastic fan of carnival who had Lula’s support, easily fought off his principal challenger, Alexandre Ramagem, the former chief of Brazil’s intelligence agency under Bolsonaro. Ramagem is being investigated as part of a wider probe into alleged spying on political opponents. He has denied the accusations.

Bolsonaro backed Ramagem, and his slight ascent in the polls in recent weeks was widely attributed to the former president’s campaigning on his behalf. But in the end it proved insufficient.

Bolsonaro’s failure to spur Ramagem into the runoff vote is a setback for the former president, who built his career in Rio.

“It shows how Bolsonaro is no longer capable of getting candidates elected like he did in past elections,” said Manoel Galdino, a political scientist at the University of Sao Paulo.

But the bad news was mitigated by Bolsonaro’s son Carlos’ reelection to Rio’s municipal assembly, where he received more votes than any other councilor.

Brazilians were casting their vote to decide the next mayors, deputy mayors and councilors in the country’s 5,569 municipalities.

More than 155 million Brazilians are eligible to vote, 52% percent of them women. Forty-three percent of the electorate is in the southeastern region, where Rio and Sao Paulo are located.

Nearly 1,000 transgender politicians ran Sunday in every one of Brazil’s 26 states, according to the nation’s electoral court, which tracked them for the first time. The number of candidacies tripled since the last local elections four years ago, when trans rights group Antra mapped them.

A second round will be held in municipalities with more than 200,000 registered voters where, like in Sao Paulo, none of the candidates for mayor obtained an absolute majority.

Follow AP's Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Former President Jair Bolsonaro supports Rio de Janeiro mayoral candidate Alexandre Ramagem, not pictured, during municipal elections in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party campaigns the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

A supporter hugs former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, center, as he supports for Rio de Janeiro mayoral candidate Alexandre Ramagem during municipal elections in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Leaflets for candidates in the municipal elections lie scattered in the Rocinha community of Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Former President Jair Bolsonaro, center, supports Rio de Janeiro mayoral candidate Alexandre Ramagem, right, after voting in the municipal elections, in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

A supporter takes a selfie with former President Jair Bolsonaro as he accompanies Rio de Janeiro mayoral candidate Alexandre Ramagem during the municipal elections in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Tereza Domingos holds her parrot Noninho after voting in the municipal elections in the Rocinha community of Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

A supporter hugs former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, center, as he supports for Rio de Janeiro mayoral candidate Alexandre Ramagem during municipal elections in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

A man votes in municipal elections in the Rocinha community of Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party, center, campaigns with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, and his running mate Marta Suplicy, left, the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party, center, campaigns with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, and his running mate Marta Suplicy, left, the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party, center, gestures to supporters as he campaigns with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, and his running mate Marta Suplicy, left, the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party campaigns the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, campaigns with mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party campaigns the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party, right, campaigns with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, campaigns with mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rocket fired from Yemen hit an area of Tel Aviv overnight, leaving 16 people slightly injured by shattered glass, the Israeli military said Saturday, days after Israeli airstrikes hit Houthi rebels who have been launching missiles in solidarity with Palestinians.

A further 14 people sustained minor injuries as they rushed to shelters when air raid sirens sounded before the projectile hit just before 4 a.m. Saturday, the military said.

The Houthi rebels issued a statement on the Telegram messaging app saying they had aimed a hypersonic ballistic missile at a military target, which they did not identify.

The attack comes less than two days after a series of Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebel-held capital, Sanaa, and port city of Hodeida killed at least nine people. The Israeli strikes were in response to a Houthi attack in which a long-range missile hit an Israeli school building. The Houthis also claimed a drone strike targeting an unspecified military target in central Israel on Thursday.

The Israeli military says the Iran-backed Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and drones during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Houthis have also been attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and say they won’t stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israeli strikes Thursday caused “considerable damage” to the Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports “that will lead to the immediate and significant reduction in port capacity,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The port at Hodeida has been key for food shipments into Yemen in its decade-long civil war.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said both sides’ attacks risk further escalation in the region and undermine U.N. mediation efforts.

In the Gaza Strip on Saturday, mourners held the funerals of 19 people — 12 of them children — killed in Israeli strikes on Friday and overnight.

One of the strikes hit a residential building in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least seven Palestinians, including five children and one woman, and injuring 16 others, health officials said.

In Gaza City, another strike on a house overnight killed 12 people, including seven children and two women, according to Al-Ahli Hospital where the bodies were taken.

Mourners gathered at the hospital in Gaza City Saturday morning. Women comforted each other as they wept over the bodies before they were carried away. One man, stony-faced, cradled a tiny shroud-wrapped body in his arms as he carried it along the funeral procession.

In Al-Aqsa Hospital of Deir al Balah, white body bags containing those killed in Nuseirat were taken from the morgue and loaded onto the back of an open truck to be taken for burial.

Overall, Gaza's Health Ministry said Saturday that 21 people had been killed and 61 were wounded over the past 24 hours.

Israel faces heavy international criticism over the unprecedented levels of civilian casualties in Gaza and questions about whether it has done enough to prevent them.

Israel says it only strikes militants, and blames the Hamas militant group for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in residential areas.

More than 45,200 people have been killed and more than 107,500 wounded in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, when a Hamas attack in Israel killed about 1,200 people and triggered the devastating 14-month war in Gaza. Local health officials do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but have said more than half of the fatalities are women and children.

The Israeli military organization dealing with humanitarian affairs for Gaza said Saturday it had led a “tactical coordinated operation” delivering thousands of food packages, flour and water to the Beit Hanoun area in the north of the Gaza Strip.

The organization, known by its acronym COGAT, said trucks from the U.N. World Food Program transported 2,000 food packages, 1,680 sacks of flour and thousands of liters of water to distribution centers in the area on Friday.

Aid groups have said previously that military operations and armed gangs have hindered their ability to distribute aid to civilians in need.

Gaza's Health Ministry issued an urgent appeal Saturday for medical and food supplies to be delivered to Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, near Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, while the hospital director described dire conditions.

The ministry said in a statement that there was continuous gunfire and Israeli shelling near the hospital. “Shells have struck the third floor and the hospital’s entrances, creating a state of panic,” the ministry said.

Hospital Director Dr. Husam Abu Safiyeh said the facility was “facing severe shortages."

“Despite promises, we have not received the necessary supplies to maintain electricity, water, and oxygen systems," Abu Safiyeh said. "Our requests for essential medical supplies and staff have largely gone unmet.”

He said the World Health Organization had delivered 70 units of blood, but that the hospital requires at least 200 units to meet urgent needs. He said 72 wounded people were being treated at the hospital.

The shortages extend beyond medical necessities. “Food is very scarce, and we cannot provide meals for the wounded. We are urgently calling on anyone who can provide supplies to help us,” he said. “The staff is working around the clock, yet we cannot even provide meals for them.”

Shurafa reported from Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writers Elena Becatoros in Majdal Shams, Golan Heights, contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat refugee camp are prepared for the funeral prayer outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Men pray over the bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat refugee camp during a funeral prayer outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat arrive at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital before their funeral in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

An Israeli soldier observes the site where the missile launched from Yemen landed Jaffa district, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Tomer Appelbaum)