Brazil goes to the polls in a duel between two political titans and bitter rivals and could usher in another four years of far-right politics or the return of the center-left to the top of the country.
On one side of this battle is current president Jair Bolsonaro, a former army captain who has built a solid foundation of support as a culture warrior with a conservative ideology. He has been distributing government funds in what is seen as an effort to grab last-minute votes.
His opponent, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, tries to arouse nostalgia for his years in office, hand in hand with the economic boom and social inclusion.
Here are some facts to keep in mind about this ballot:
How often do you vote in Brazil?
Brazil holds general elections once every four years, in which state and federal representatives are elected, as well as the president, governors and some senators. Mayors, councilors and the rest of the senators are also elected every four years, but in different years.
How many times can the same person be president?
There is no limit to the number of times a person can be elected president in Brazil, but a person can only hold two consecutive terms. That’s why Lula, who was president from 2003 to 2010, can race again this year.
When was the first election?
On October 2, Brazil held the first round of elections, electing legislators at the state and federal levels. Also confirmed are the candidates for the office of governor who have obtained more than 50% of the valid votes, which exclude empty and null votes.
None of the 11 presidential candidates won an absolute majority, which led to a second round between Lula, who got 48% of the vote, and Bolsonaro, with 43%.
The polls had significantly underestimated support for the president and his allies, prompting a backlash.
What do we vote on this Sunday?
It is a second round of elections for the presidency and for the governorates in the states where no candidate has obtained a majority in the first round. Most polls show Lula a slight advantage over Bolsonaro.
The proposals
What is Jair Bolsonaro’s plan?
During the campaign, Bolsonaro often repeated his guiding principles: “God, family, country“He describes Brazil as a spiritually sick country and presents himself as a Christian soldier on guard against cultural Marxism. He has relaxed restrictions on the purchase of weapons and ammunition and on the supervision of environmental crimes in the Amazon jungle.
Its environmental policy, according to critics, has caused the biome’s worst deforestation in 15 years and an increase in man-made fires.
underline yours opposition to the legalization of abortion and drugswhile he warns that Lula’s return would produce the kind of leftist authoritarianism seen elsewhere in Latin America, the persecution of churches, sex education in public schools and the proliferation of so-called gender ideology.
Bolsonaro recently donated government funds to poorer Brazilians, traditionally inclined to vote for Lula’s Workers’ Party.
The Ayuda Brasil social assistance program, created during the Covid-19 pandemic, has been generous compared to other nations and a lifeline for many Brazilians. It has recently been strengthened and extended until the end of the year, and Bolsonaro said it will continue until 2023.
Other measures are the gas subsidy for cooking, aid to truckers and taxi drivers and the refinancing of debts.
What does Lula da Silva propose?
Lula focused on his previous mandates (2003-2010), during which commodity exports soared and tens of millions of Brazilians joined the middle class.
It promises the poor, who have been hit by economic difficulties for nearly a decade, that they will once again be able to eat three meals a day and even barbecues on the weekend.
But he didn’t give any details on how to ensure the return of those good days. Like Bolsonaro, promises to extend social assistance until 2023, without explaining how it will be financed. He said the state will once again take a leading role in economic development.
Faced with Bolsonaro’s attempts to put him in the same position as the leaders of Cuba and Venezuela, Lula refused to denounce their autocratic practices, saying instead that the sovereignties of other nations must be respected, also stressing the fact that he did not implement such policies during his presidency.
In April, he said women should have the right to abortion and then backtracked amid protests, saying he was personally against it.
A corruption conviction in 2018 prevented him from participating in that year’s presidential contest and allowed Bolsonaro to take the win. But the Federal Supreme Court overturned their rulings in 2021, ruling that the president had been biased and acted in collusion with prosecutors. This allowed him to appear this year.
What will happen after the elections?
Many political analysts have expressed concern that Bolsonaro has laid the groundwork for rejecting election results in case of defeat and trying to hold on to power, much like former US President Donald Trump, whom he admires.
This alarm is largely due to the president’s insistence that Brazil’s electronic voting machines are subject to fraud, although he has never presented evidence of his claims.
Source: AP
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Source: Clarin
