THE SQUIZ
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has been denied a 2nd term in office after he was beaten by former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. It was a run-off election between the top 2 candidates after the first poll in early October saw neither man collect more than 50% of the votes – the required level to win the nation’s presidential ballot. Almost a month later, the man they call ‘Lula’ won it by a teeny-tiny margin claiming 50.9% of the vote. Bolsonaro is yet to concede – in recent times, his supporters have questioned the reliability of Brazil’s electronic voting system but have supplied no evidence to back their claims.

THAT SOUNDS FAMILIAR…
Well, some do refer to Bolsonaro as the ‘Trump of the Tropics’… He’s a far-right politician who rolled back protections for the Amazon rainforest and dismissed COVID as “a little flu” – a state of mind that led to Brazil becoming one of the worst affected countries with almost 690,000 deaths. He’s also delivered significant financial support to those in poverty since 2020 – but his critics say he had the election in mind. “Maybe you have to give that one to him. But it was excessive, and it wasn’t well designed. It did help him boost his popularity,” said one political scientist. As for Lula, well, that is quite a story… As much as Bolsonaro is on the right, he’s on the left. Lula was a beloved national figure during his 2003-10 presidency for getting Brazil’s economy firing while also lifting millions out of poverty. And then came the corruption scandals that saw him imprisoned in 2018… Released in 2019 on a technicality, the 77yo’s been on the campaign trail pretty much since then.

WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME ALL THIS?
First of all, it’s a cracking yarn involving 2 huge figures. But there are also 3 reasons to call out as to why some say it was the most important election in Latin America for decades. Bolsonaro made moves to limit the free press and install military leaders into key government roles, so there were concerns about Brazil’s democracy under his ongoing leadership. The 2nd is that many said the Amazon’s future is at stake. It plays a vital role in the global climate as a huge store of carbon dioxide, and Bolsonaro was going to allow more land clearing while Lula promised protections. And finally, Lula’s election could see Brazil restore relations with Western nations after Bolsonaro was shunned by many. But that doesn’t mean it’s a cakewalk for Lula – as the election result shows, the country is divided. He’s vowed to “reestablish harmony”, but his specific plans to restore Brazil’s economy are vague. But for now, stay tuned to see if Bolsonaro goes easily or tries to hang on.