The Guardian View on Brazil’s Election: Bolsonaro’s Return Would Cost Us All

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: The planet cannot afford a second term for the far-right president who has resurged in the polls

Jair Bolsonaro at a campaign event in Rio de Janeiro earlier this month. ‘Even if Mr Bolsonaro is seen off this time, he may well be back.’ Photograph: António Lacerda/EPA
On Sunday, Brazilian electors will cast their vote in a tight contest that will not only set the course for this extraordinarily polarised country but also have a powerful impact on the future of the world. Hopes that the far-right incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, would be decisively rejected in the first round were dashed when he fared far better than expected, with 43% of votes, and his challenger, the former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, fell just short of an outright majority with 48%. Eleventh-hour handouts to the poorest and lavish quantities of disinformation have aided Mr Bolsonaro’s recovery.

The hope is that his momentum is already fading. But the polls vary, and a second presidential term would be bad news not just for Brazilians but also the rest of us. The primary danger is climate catastrophe. … » | Editorial | Thursday, October 27, 2022