In Brazil’s heated presidential election, anything could happen
CNN — Brazilians head to the polls Sunday to select their next president in what has been one of the country’s most contested and polarizing elections in recent history.
2022-09-30 20:40:59 - VI News Staff
Although there are nearly a dozen candidates on the ballot – and several other seats up for grabs – the October 2 race is dominated by two frontrunners: right wing incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro and leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, leader of the Workers’ Party.
The race is extremely heated. Bolsonaro and Lula, as he is popularly known, have used Twitter, YouTube, televised debates and massive political rallies to present their positions and attack each other at every turn. And violent rhetoric among their supporters has left many voters feeling fearful of what is yet to come.
According to a Datafolha poll conducted in August, more than 67% of voters in Brazil are afraid of being “physically attacked” due to their political affiliations. And the country’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal has issued a ban on firearms within 100 meters (330 feet) of any polling station on election day.
Both candidates have been seen on the campaign trail flanked by security and police, even wearing bullet proof vests at times. Bolsonaro wore his as he kicked off his reelection bid last month in the city of Juiz de Fora, at the exact location where he was stabbed in the stomach during the 2018 presidential campaign. Lula was seen also wearing a vest during an event in Rio de Janeiro, the same city where a homemade stink bomb was launched into a large crowd of his supporters back in July.
Lula and Bolsonaro: Ideological opposites
The race pits two titans of contemporary Brazilian politics – and polar opposites – against each other.
“These are two well-known figures, two of the largest and most unique populist leaders in Brazilian politics from the past 20 years,” Antonio Lavareda, director of Brazilian polling group Ipespe, told CNN affiliate CNN Brasil.
“For the first time, we have a president who is being evaluated based on his nearly four years in office and a former president who already has a consolidated image.”
Bolsonaro, 67, who is often referred to as the “Trump of the Tropics,” is running for reelection under the conservative Liberal Party. At the center of his campaign and his reelection plan is what he says is the right for freedom: freedom of expression, freedom to live and freedom to use the country’s natural resources for future development and growth, including in mining and other agricultural businesses. Bolsonaro’s job creation strategy is based on investing in industry to promote job growth, especially in tech. The former paratrooper also supports expanding access to gun ownership for self defense.