Ricardo Nunes (politician)

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.

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. 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.

After Covas' death on May 16, 2021, he assumed the position of mayor of the city. 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. Nunes has also chaired the since 2023.

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.

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.

Nunes studied Law at Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas (FMU), but, in debt, he dropped out of the course so he could work.

Political career

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. 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.

In 2016 he supported amnesty of churches in irregular situation during zoning laws.

Nunes gained notoriety in the media for being actively against the inclusion of sexuality and gender in the city education plan. 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.

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.

As deputy mayor, Nunes kept a low profile, appearing publicly only in the absence of Bruno Covas.

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. 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.

Covas died on 16 May 2021, and therefore Nunes permanently assumed office for the remainder of the term. He was elected in his own right as mayor in the 2024 São Paulo mayoral election.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nunes, Ricardo
1967 births
Living people
Politicians from São Paulo
Mayors of São Paulo
Brazilian Democratic Movement politicians
Municipal Chamber of São Paulo councillors
Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras supporters