Two candidates topped the Brazilian Presidential election in the final days of the campaign. Left: President Jair Bolsonaro in Santos on Wednesday. Right: Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in São Paulo on Monday.
Left: Alexandre Schneider / Getty Images; Right: Andre Penner / AP
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Left: Alexandre Schneider / Getty Images; Right: Andre Penner / AP
Two candidates topped the Brazilian Presidential election in the final days of the campaign. Left: President Jair Bolsonaro in Santos on Wednesday. Right: Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in São Paulo on Monday.
Left: Alexandre Schneider / Getty Images; Right: Andre Penner / AP
RIO DE JANEIRO – This Sunday’s election in Brazil will be one of the most watched in Latin America, as two radical ideological opponents fight for the presidency of the populace. fourth largest owner in the world.
On the right is incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro, a crude nationalist widely criticized for escalating Amazon devastation, deforestation of Brazil COVID-19 response and cast doubt on the country’s electoral system before election day.
President Bolsonaro rides a motorbike with a supporter during a campaign rally in Santos on Wednesday.
Image by Alexandre Schneider / Getty
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Image by Alexandre Schneider / Getty
President Bolsonaro rides a motorbike with a supporter during a campaign rally in Santos on Wednesday.
Image by Alexandre Schneider / Getty
He faces uphill battle from a former president and one of Latin America’s most revered leftists, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Lula, because he’s being affectionate known to have led by more than 10 points over Bolsonaro in many polls. But he must overcome voters’ skepticism after major corruption scandals during his two terms landed him in jail.
Da Silva (centre) sings the national anthem during a rally during the final week of his election campaign at Portela Samba School in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.
Buda Mendes / Getty Images
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Buda Mendes / Getty Images
Da Silva (centre) sings the national anthem during a rally during the final week of his election campaign at Portela Samba School in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.
Buda Mendes / Getty Images
Who is the main candidate?
Eleven presidents candidates are voting, but all eyes were on Bolsonaro and da Silva. While Bolsonaro’s number is recent increase, most polls show him stuck in the low 30th percentile of voter preference. Many Brazilians are not satisfied with the way the 67-year-old incumbent is run. A survey in mid-September by Datafolha found that 44% of respondents said they disapprove of the job the president is doing.
A Da Silva victory would be a great political comeback. The 76 years old former metalworker who led Brazil from 2003 to 2010. He expanded social welfare programs to help Millions of people lifted out of poverty, during a period of economic growth and explosive commodity prices. Leaving office, da Silva is considered by many as one of the most famous politicians In the world. But in 2017 he became embroiled in an extensive corruption investigation, called Operation Car Wash, which resulted in him serving time in prison the following year. Da Silva has always maintained his innocence and was released in 2019 after serving 580 days in prison. His Sentencing was rescinded.
Da Silva greets supporters outside the metalworkers’ union in São Bernardo do Campo on November 9, 2019, a day after being released from prison.
Pedro Vilela / Getty Images
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Pedro Vilela / Getty Images
Da Silva greets supporters outside the metalworkers’ union in São Bernardo do Campo on November 9, 2019, a day after being released from prison.
Pedro Vilela / Getty Images
What is at stake for Brazil?
Brazil has one of the tallest countries in the world confirmed coronavirus deaths per capita. It has struggled to emerge from global economic turmoil caused by fallout from the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Economic problems, high inflation and discontent over inequality and corruption have led to a shift to the left in other countries in the region, including Chile and Colombia.
Masked protesters depict Bolsonaro performing during a protest against the government’s COVID-19 response in Brasília on October 20, 2021.
Andressa Anholete / Getty Images
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Andressa Anholete / Getty
Masked protesters depict Bolsonaro performing during a protest against the government’s COVID-19 response in Brasília on October 20, 2021.
Andressa Anholete / Getty
The economy will be the toughest challenge after the election. Bolsonaro recently boasted at the United Nations that the Brazilian economy fully recovered. But Weak economic growth and inflation are hurting the poor. Political scientist Guilherme Casarões speak Brazil’s constituency is now sharply polarized after four years as President Bolsonaro and far-right orators. The president insists he is a defender of family values, winning his support from a growing population conservative missionary. He Lock refused and conceal missions during the pandemic. And through executive orders, he not only Loosening Brazil’s gun laws but severely eliminated environmental protections in the Amazon.
What’s at stake for the region – and the rest of the world
An area of the Amazon rainforest was cleared and burned in the Lábrea region of northern Brazil on September 2. The Amazon has seen its worst months of fires in more than a decade.
Douglas Magno / AFP via Getty Images
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Douglas Magno / AFP via Getty Images
An area of the Amazon rainforest was cleared and burned in the Lábrea region of northern Brazil on September 2. The Amazon has seen its worst months of fires in more than a decade.
Douglas Magno / AFP via Getty Images
Bolsonaro’s support of agribusiness and contempt for environmental advocates has greatly weakened Brazil’s protection of the Amazon forest. During his presidency, deforestation in the world’s most biodiverse forest reached the highest level in 15 yearsand the forest fire has skyrocketed. The Amazon rainforest, one of the most important carbon sinks for the planet, is now releasing more carbon into the atmosphere. Some scientists say that without stricter safeguards, the Amazon could reach a point of no return and irreparably damage the environment. Bolsonaro, who jokes about his nickname “Captain Chainsaw”, claims that many fires are deliberately set out just to discredit him. Under da Silva, deforestation rate decreasedand the former president has promise to protect forest again if elected.
Bolsonaro’s assault on democratic institutions has also escalated in the run-up to the election. He has spent more than a year preparing his devout base for a possible vote-stealing that very much resembles the false claims of former President Donald Trump, a major national hero. Brazilian leader.
Fear of violence if Bolsonaro does not accept the result
Despite coming back in the polls, Bolsonaro insists he will win entirely on election day, and avoid a second round run. He has long claimed that if he doesn’t, it is only due to widespread voter fraud – as he alleged, without providing evidence, in 2018. Like Trump, Bolsonaro claims falsely claimed that his country’s electronic voting machines were vulnerable to tampering. As a former army captain, he remains close to the military, which he says should oversee the election. Recently, Bolsonaro seems to have cooled down his rhetoric, while maneuvering an agreement for the military to oversee sampling of voting machines on election day. Brazil has used electronic voting machines in elections since 1996 and has never registered any significant fraud.
Workers prepare electronic voting machines during a sealing operation ahead of the Brazilian presidential election in Brasília on September 21.
Mateus Bonomi / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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Mateus Bonomi / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Workers prepare electronic voting machines during a sealing operation ahead of the Brazilian presidential election in Brasília on September 21.
Mateus Bonomi / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
When it happens
Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília Sunday (7 a.m.-4 p.m. ET). The National Assembly and the competent director the election will also happenning. Results can appear as early as 9pm in Brasília, thanks to the speed of the electronic voting system. If no one wins more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will advance to the second round on October 30.
