Brazil’s left went into Sunday’s election hoping for an outright majority for their candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva over Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right figurehead who has been Brazil’s president for the last four years.
At the very least, they hoped for a commanding margin and a sense of momentum going into a run-off between the two. And progressives around the world were watching for an emphatic repudiation of Bolsonaro’s presidency that would signal that the forces of extremism were in retreat. But it hasn’t worked out that way.
Instead, Lula won 48% of votes, roughly in line with polls – but Bolsonaro did much better than expected, taking 43%, and his supporters also outperformed polls in state and senate races. Lula is expected to take most votes from the minor candidates who now drop out, and should be favourite to win in the second round on October 30 - but the road to victory looks rockier than it did last night. The stakes could hardly be higher. » | Archie Bland | Monday, October 3, 2022
