More than 70 Brazilian candidates reportedly added “Bolsonaro” to their ballot names for municipal elections Sunday, Bloomberg reported.
The candidates attempted to align themselves with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro by allegedly changing their ballot names during the election, however, none of the 70 candidates received enough votes to win, according to Bloomberg.
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has suffered a setback as most of the dozens of candidates he backed for municipal elections failed to secure victories or spots in runoffs. https://t.co/97f2wEy8UU
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 16, 2020
Candidates that were backed by Bolsonaro also did not fare well during the election, with only nine of the 60 Bolsonaro endorsed winning their elections, according to U.S. News and World Report.
“The vote wasn’t an evaluation of the presidential administration, but rather a political thermometer of the country,” said Mauricio Santoro, a political science professor at the State University of Rio De Janeiro.
Bolsonaro previously said that he would not get involved in the election, but recently used social media to promote candidates. (RELATED: Brazil’s New President Says What He And Trump Have In Common: ‘We Are God-Fearing Men’)
“Either we do the necessary self-criticism, or our errors will be paid for at an even higher price in the future,” Filipe Martins, an adviser to Bolsonaro said relating to the election results.
Brazilians voted for mayors and city councilors in more than 5,500 cities across the country, per U.S. News and World Report.