Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – On the brink of bankruptcy and racked by violence, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil’s tourism gateway, will next month elect its new governor — with former state capital mayor Eduardo Paes the favorite against outsider and football icon Romario.
Home to 17.1 million people, Rio is Brazil’s third most populous state and second richest, with its namesake capital city shown off as dynamic and vibrant during the 2016 Olympic Games.
But in February, current governor Luiz Fernando Pezao admitted Rio was in a “calamitous state” — a confession of helplessness after President Michel Temer ordered military intervention to help restore order amidst a wave of drug and gang-related violence.
While the Games passed without any major incidents, crime has shot up since, with 6,731 murders in the city of Rio de Janiero in 2017.
Aside from rampant violence, the election’s winner will also inherit 10 billion reals ($2.4 billion) of debt, despite significant revenue from tourism and the oil industry.
Last year, Brazil emerged from a historic recession with a meager 1.0 percent growth, but Rio’s GDP shrank by 0.6 percent.
As for unemployment, the state boasts one of the highest rates in the country: 15.4 percent in this year’s second quarter, compared to 12.4 percent nationally.
Meanwhile, civil servants are often paid months late and waits for health care services seem endless.
“These are clear signs of lack of organization and inability to provide the most essential public services,” Michael Mohallem, political science professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, told AFP.
The state is also plagued by corruption scandals.
Pezao was Rio’s vice-governor during the seven-year stewardship of Sergio Cabral (2007-2014), taking over following the latter’s resignation amidst protests against his alleged bribe-taking.
Arrested in November 2016, Cabral is now serving more than 100 years for five graft convictions.
– ‘Difficult, high-risk job’ –
The 12 candidates for governor have put themselves up for a “difficult job, with a lot of challenges and very high political risk,” Mohallem said.
The latest survey by the Datafolha Institute put Paes as leading voter intentions, with 24 percent, ahead of Romario, who dropped 2.0 percent from last month to 14 percent.
Paes, 48, is running off the back of his prosperous mayorship, which was boosted by huge investments related to the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.
He also managed to escape unscathed from the vast “Operation Car Wash” corruption probe that took down Cabral and many other top politicians such as former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
As one of the greatest footballers in history, famous for his flair in the box, popularity is no problem for goal poacher-turned-politician Romario.
He recently won the support of today’s Selecao superstar, Neymar.
But the 52-year-old is also known for his strong personality, taste for provocation and arrogance — not to mention several scandals, including allegations he concealed assets to avoid paying debts.
From the start of his political career, Romario stood out as a diligent figure during his term in the lower chamber of Congress, before he was elected to the Senate in the last election — but he has no experience of being the man in charge.
“He could be penalized for his lack of experience, but it may also be looked upon kindly by part of the electorate in search of novelty,” Mohallem said.
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