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Ricardo Nunes (politician)
Brazilian politician (born 1967) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ricardo Luis Reis Nunes (born 13 November 1967) is a Brazilian businessman and politician currently serving as mayor of São Paulo, since 2021. A member of the Brazilian Democratic Movement, he previously served as vice mayor and councillor of the city.[2]
Nunes entered politics when he was elected as a city councilor for the first time in 2012, becoming famous for chairing a commission that investigated tax evasion in the city, in addition to lobbying for amnesty for irregular religious temples and defending conservative agendas.[3][4] Elected for a second term in 2016, he was chosen by then-mayor Bruno Covas to be part of his victorious ticket in the 2020 municipal election as his vice mayor.[5][6]
After Covas' death on May 16, 2021, he assumed the position of mayor of the city.[7] Allying with former president Jair Bolsonaro, he was elected in his own right in the 2024 municipal election, defeating Guilherme Boulos in the second round.[8][9] Nunes has also chaired the Development Council of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo since 2023.[10]
In addition to politics, Nunes is a businessman and owner of a pest control company that disinfects imported and exported cargo at Brazilian ports and airports.[2]
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Early life
Nunes was born on 13 November, 1967 in São Paulo, São Paulo to Maria do Céu Reis Nunes, a housewife, and Luiz Nunes, a Portuguese-born businessman. Raised in Parque Santo Antônio, a neighborhood of Capão Redondo, he initially grew up middle class, attending private school, but when his father tried to start a business on the coast of the state in the 1980s and ended up going bankrupt, he attended a public school in Capela do Socorro where he worked as a volunteer.[11][12]
Nunes studied Law at Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas (FMU), but, in debt, he dropped out of the course so he could work.[11]
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Political career
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Nunes was elected a city councillor for São Paulo in 2012 and 2016, having been part of the pro-government coalition of mayor Fernando Haddad, of the Workers' Party.[13] While serving as a member of the Municipal Assembly, Nunes held positions on legislative inquiry committees such as a committee on banks, in 2019, which investigated tax evasion of social security services in the state capital.[2][14]
In 2016 he supported amnesty of churches in irregular situation during zoning laws.[13]
Nunes gained notoriety in the media for being actively against the inclusion of sexuality and gender in the city education plan.[2] He also authored a bill to create an aquatic transportation system at the Billings Reservoir. While the proposal is not very feasible, it was included in the goal plan of the city government.[14]
In 2020, having been preparing a third run for city councillor, Nunes became the running mate of incumbent mayor and mayoral candidate Bruno Covas, in a coalition between the PSDB, MDB and DEM, part of a political maneuver by São Paulo state governor João Doria, a PSDB member, seeking an eventual support of the MDB in the 2022 elections.[2][13]
As deputy mayor, Nunes kept a low profile, appearing publicly only in the absence of Bruno Covas.[2]
On 2 May 2021, Nunes became acting mayor of São Paulo for 30 days, due to an administrative leave by the then incumbent mayor Bruno Covas due to treatment for cancer.[2] After assuming office, it was reported that PSDB sought to persuade Nunes to switch to their party from MDB. However, Nunes rejected the idea of switching his party affiliation.[15]
Covas died on 16 May 2021, and therefore Nunes permanently assumed office for the remainder of the term.[16][17] He was elected in his own right as mayor in the 2024 São Paulo mayoral election.[18]
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Notes
- Acting: 3 May 2021 – 16 May 2021
References
External links
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