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RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) \u2014 Brazilians began voting in the first round of local elections on Sunday for mayors, deputy mayors and councilors in the country\u2019s 5,569 municipalities.<\/p>\n
In Sao Paulo<\/a>, three mayoral candidates are running neck-and-neck, including incumbent Ricardo Nunes, left-wing lawmaker Guilherme Boulos and self-help guru turned far-right politician Pablo Mar\u00e7al. A runoff is scheduled for Oct. 27.<\/p>\n Much of the attention leading up to Sunday\u2019s vote has been on Brazil<\/a> \u2019s biggest city, where the race has been marred by episodes of violence involving Mar\u00e7al.<\/p>\n Last month, Jos\u00e9 Luiz Datena, a former TV presenter turned candidate, slammed Mar\u00e7al with a metal chair<\/a> during a televised debate following references to allegations of sexual misconduct. In a later debate, an aide to Mar\u00e7al thumped an adversary\u2019s counterpart, resulting in a bloody face.<\/p>\n Mar\u00e7al 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 passed away.<\/p>\n Boulos, a longtime campaigner for housing rights who is backed by President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva<\/a>, vehemently denied the veracity of the document. On Saturday, a judge sitting on Sao Paulo\u2019s electoral court ordered the suspension of Mar\u00e7al\u2019s Instagram account for 48 hours and deemed that there are \u201cindications of various offenses under the Electoral Code.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of former President Jair Bolsonaro<\/a> \u2019s political base has been drawn to Mar\u00e7al, enthralled by his fiery rhetoric, although the far-right leader is supporting Nunes.<\/p>\n In Rio de Janeiro<\/a>, incumbent Eduardo Paes is hoping to avoid a second-round runoff. Polls indicated until recently that was possible. But his principal challenger Alexandre Ramagem has steadily climbed in the polls in recent weeks, rendering the outcome of Sunday\u2019s vote uncertain.<\/p>\n Ramagem, the former chief of Brazil\u2019s intelligence agency under Bolsonaro, is being investigated<\/a> as part of a wider probe into alleged spying on political opponents. He has denied the accusations.<\/p>\n Bolsonaro is backing Ramagem, and his ascent in the polls is widely attributed to the former president’s campaigning on his behalf.<\/p>\n More than 155 million Brazilians are eligible to vote. Forty-three percent of the electorate is in the southeastern region, where Rio and Sao Paulo are located. Women make up around 52% of voters.<\/p>\n