Why the Far-right Surge in Brazilian Elections? • FRANCE 24 English

Oct 5, 2026 | Do voters care about attempted coups? Brazil's Flavio Bolsonaro on the cusp of unseating Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the October 25th presidential runoff, Bolsonaro whose father was jailed over the Brazilian version of the January 6th storming of the US Capitol. Up and down the ballot, there are other Bolsonaros elected in the first round as the far-right surges. Is it about incumbent fatigue? Do Brazilians subscribe to Bolsonaro’s "God, Homeland, Family" mantra?

And what will it take for the 80-year-old Lula to convince enough of the 21-percent of voters who stayed home last Sunday to come out for the second round? We’ll ask how Brazil’s doing on the economy, crime, and rule of law. A democracy was built in the wake of a military dictatorship included safeguards intended to force compromise and prevent a return to strongman rule.

Is that still what Brazilians want? What does it say when the region's powerhouse is poised to become the seventh nation in the Americas to veer to the right since the return to power last year of Donald Trump?