In a sprawling mega-city like São Paolo, where gated luxury complexes tower over poverty-stricken favelas, a socialist mayor could significantly improve the lot of a large chunk of the population. That’s why many Paulistanos are pinning their hopes on Guilherme Boulos, Brazil’s most prominent housing activist, in the influential city’s mayoral election later this year.
This isn’t the first time Boulos has thrown his hat in the ring. Running in 2020 under the radical Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL), the 41-year-old stunned Brazil’s elite by coming second against social democrat Bruno Covas. When Covas died shortly after being elected, he was replaced by a more conservative technocratic mayor, Ricardo Nunes.
