Former president Jair Bolsonaro’s rightwing party led Brazil's municipal elections, narrowly edging out leftist candidate Guilherme Boulos in Sao Paulo. Outgoing mayor Ricardo Nunes secured 29.4%

Candidates backed by Jair Bolsonaro are pulling ahead in municipal elections that are considered a barometer of political sentiment in Brazil, two years before a presidential vote in which Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will likely seek another term.

Centrist and center-right parties won city halls and consolidated control of town councils across Brazil in Sunday's municipal elections, underscoring a conservative shift in the country's electorate as the ruling Workers Party lost ground.