By Tom Degun
October 8 – Eduardo Paes has been re-elected as the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil’s municipal elections meaning that he will hold the prestigious position when the country hosts the FIFA 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup, as well as the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The 42-year-old politician secured an overwhelming majority in the first round of the elections as he collected 64.6 per cent of the vote to comfortable defeat the challenge of leftist rival Marcelo Freixo, who got just 28.1 per cent.
The vote gives Paes his second four-year term in office after he was first elected as Mayor in 2008 and he promised he would continue to work his hardest as the sporting spotlight falls on Rio.
“We are going to work together over the next four years,” said Paes, who is a close ally of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.
“We have many big projects culmination with the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016 and we must work hard to make sure these are a success.”
Paes will play a significant role in helping the city host key matches for the Confederations Cup next year and the World Cup the following year, with the Estádio do Maracanã in Rio set to host the World Cup final.
But Paes will have his work cut out to ensure all the events are successful, with Rio having been criticised by both FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for being behind schedule in many of its key works, including the renovation of the Estádio do Maracanã (pictured above).
FIFA general secretary Jérôme Valcke has continually called on Brazil to step up the pace of its work, while the Rio 2016 IOC Coordination Commission chair Nawal El Moutawakel warned Rio 2016 that it was falling behind schedule in an address to the IOC Session in July.
She called for very vigorous coordination between stakeholders to keep the Olympic and Paralympic project on track but Paes and Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman have continually reiterated that the city will deliver the event on time.
Contact the writer of this story at zib.l1734900004labto1734900004ofdlr1734900004owedi1734900004sni@n1734900004uged.1734900004mot1734900004