Brazil election: Lula da Silva to face Bolsonaro in run-off
The presidential election in Brazil will see a runoff competition between former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro on October 30. In the high-turnout election, no candidate obtained the required majority of over 50% of the vote. Silva had 48.4% support while Bolsonaro had 43.2%, with 99.9% of the votes counted, advancing the race to the second round.
Why does this story matter?
Even though there were almost a dozen contenders, Silva and Bolsonaro dominated the presidential election from the start. The two Brazilian political veterans were involved in a tough campaign characterized by a number of violent events involving competing supporters. While Bolsonaro emphasized his record of implementing several economic reforms, Silva relied on the implementation of welfare programs for the poor during his presidency.
Opinion polls had predicted Silva winning the race
Ahead of the election, several surveys suggested Silva would win by over 10-15 percentage points against Bolsonaro. However, the outcome crushed hopes for a swift conclusion. Notably, Bolsonaro questioned surveys that showed him losing in the first round to Silva. He earlier also made unsubstantiated claims about the integrity of Brazil's electronic voting system and stated if he loses, he wouldn't accept the result.
Silva confident of win in the second round
"The struggle continues until our final victory," Silva told the media in a defiant tone following the election, hoping to reclaim Brazil's presidency. "We are going to win these elections - this for us is simply extra time," he vowed. To recall, Silva was barred from the 2018 presidential election, which saw Bolsonaro being elected, on corruption charges that were later overturned.
Anti-incumbency factor strong against Bolsonaro
Bolsonaro has reportedly been engulfed in problems since he was elected president of Brazil. He has been under fire from a number of sources for his handling of the COVID-19 disaster, which resulted in the deaths of nearly seven lakh people. He was embroiled in a major controversy when he failed to take any action to stop the widespread destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
We're going to show better for Brazilian population: Bolsonaro
According to Bolsonaro, the poorer Brazilians' economic problems were reflected in the voting, and he pledged to appeal to those who are concerned about price increases. "Now we are going to show it better for the Brazilian population, especially the most affected class, the consequence of the 'stay at home, we'll see the economy later' policy," he said, talking about the second round run-off.
Some political analysts predict Bolsonaro's win
Brazil has strong extreme rightists, according to Insper business school's political scientist Carlos Melo. "Lula's second-round victory is now less likely. Bolsonaro will arrive with a lot of strength for re-election," he said. On Sunday, Bolsonaro promised to devote more time to convincing the poorest sectors of society. However, his popularity has suffered since the coronavirus pandemic and corruption charges against his administration.
Brazil may witness US Capitol-like riots if Bolsonaro loses
According to AFP, many observers believe that Bolsonaro might even repeat former US President Donald Trump's actions after the 2020 US elections if he loses. Observers have reportedly warned he is preparing followers to stage a Brazilian version of the Capitol riots. Worryingly, several sections of Brazil's military have also hesitated to condemn Bolsonaro's anti-democratic sentiments ahead of the presidential election, AFP reported.
