On Sunday (27), during the voting for the second round to choose São Paulo's new mayor, the Governor of the state, Tarcísio de Freitas, spread fake news about a connection between the PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital or Capital's First Command, in a rough translation), a Brazilian organized crime syndicate, had supported vote intentions for the left-wing candidate Guilherme Boulos.
In the afternoon, Freitas made those statements at his polling station, where he was joined by right-winger Mayor Ricardo Nunes, who is running for reelection and Boulos' opponent in the second round.
Guilherme Boulos held a press conference to respond to unproven accusations, calling the claims "unprecedented lies." He also announced that he would sue Freitas for abuse of political power and spreading fake news.
"I think it's unprecedented for a state governor to make up a lie on election day to try to influence the election results," said Boulos.
In response to these statements, President Lula's Workers' Party, which supports Boulos, said on a note that Freitas should be arrested. "He should be arrested for using the public machine to commit another electoral crime."
"Governor Freitas, in a desperate attempt to cover up Ricardo Nunes' evident links with the PCC, has committed an abuse of power by claiming that the criminal organization supports Boulos," the note goes on.
"The facts show the opposite: it is Ricardo Nunes who has affiliation with the PCC, because of the appointments he made and in the city hall contracts that are the subject of an investigation by the Public Prosecutor's Office."
During a debate on the Brazilian channel Band TV on October 14, Boulos suggested that the mayor make their bank records public, raising the suspicion that Ricardo Nunes has received undue funds.
The request called for transparency regarding their bank information, alongside allegations connecting Nunes to the PCC and investigations into the alleged misappropriation of funds from daycare centers in São Paulo during his time in office.
Guilherme Boulos also used his social networks to deny the fake news spread by the Governor of São Paulo:
