Neither Bolsonaro nor Lula is the best choice for Brazil
With only Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva and Jair Bolsonaro as the main choices, it's unlikely that the country's future will be in the best hands.
On Sunday, an estimated 156 million Brazilians will head to the polls to elect a new president.
The outcome will serve as something of a bellwether of the international political scene. With increasing concern about the rise of far-right candidates across the globe — such as the recent election of Giorgia Meloni in Italy — Brazil’s presidential race will either reaffirm a global trend toward “pseudo-fascism” or mark a complete rejection of it; there will be no gray area once Brazil’s presidential elections are over.
That no viable alternative emerged to soak up the general level of frustration with the two front-runners is as unfortunate as it is worrisome for the future of the country and the world.
Although Brazil is a multi party country, Sunday’s election has been distilled down to a choice between which of the two viable candidates running is capable of doing the least amount of harm. Sadly, no matter which way the Brazilian electorate decides to go, it will almost certainly mark a wrong turn.
On the one hand, there is the incumbent officeholder, Jair Bolsonaro. The “Tropical Trump” who is not only endorsed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, but has cribbed many a move from the MAGA playbook. This includes downplaying the coronavirus and causing untold needless deaths, challenging climate science, spreading baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, sowing doubts about election integrity and stoking widespread fears of a Trump-like quiet coup attempt should the results be close.
Rating: 5