A majority of the supreme court magistrates have voted to convict the former ‘political nucleus’ of the left-wing ruling Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) for active corruption as the mensalão trial edges towards its conclusion. The former president Lula da Silva (2003-2010), in whose first term the congressional bribery scheme known as the mensalão (‘big monthly payout’) took place, told PT candidates preparing for the municipal election run-offs on 28 October to walk with their heads held high. At a meeting of the national party directorate in São Paulo, he advised candidates not to allow their opponents to use the mensalão…

Though still the second biggest force at the municipal level (after the Partido do Movimento Democrático Brasileiro [PMDB]), Brazil’s main opposition Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira (PSDB) continues to lose ground. It elected 693 mayors in the first round of the municipal elections on 7 October, compared to its tally of 789 four years ago in 2008, continuing a downward trend that saw it lose 10% of its municipal support in 2008. Its right-wing ally, Democratas (DEM), fared even worse, securing just 276 municipalities, down 44% over 2008. The new Partido Social Democrático (PSD), formed in 2010 by the dissident…