In Brazil this Sunday, 156 million voters are called to the polls for a presidential election under tension. Lula hopes to win the election in the first round against incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro, who could challenge the result.
The two big favorites in the ballot voted early in the morning. “For me, this is the most important election”, said Lula, ex-president of the left (2003-2010), 76 years old and former metalworker. He is seeking a third term, twelve years after leaving power with record popularity. “We no longer want hatred, discord. We want a country at peace” he said in reference to the fractures of the country.
In case of defeat, could Jair Bolsonaro challenge the result?
Bolsonaro, 67, dressed to vote in the yellow and green jersey of the national football team under which he wore a bulletproof vest, still cast doubt on a possible challenge to the result. “If the elections are clean, no problem. May the best win!”, said the head of state.
At midday, the president of the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE), Alexandre de Moraes, assured that the vote was taking place “problem free, peace of mind”and held to “reaffirm reliability and transparency” of the electronic ballot box system, regularly criticized by Jair Bolsonaro. The latest survey from the benchmark institute Datafolha gave Lula a big lead in the first lapwith 50% of the votes cast, against 36% for Bolsonaro.
For this crucial election for the future of the young democracy in Brazil, the shock at the Lula-Bolsonaro summit relegated the nine other candidates to the rank of extras. “The question is whether there will be a second round or not, and that is impossible to predict”, told AFP Adriano Laureno, analyst at the consultants Prospectiva. A victory for Lula would sign an unexpected comeback, four years after his controversial incarceration for suspicions of corruption. His campaign called for a “meaningful vote” for a first-round victory. This would save him four more weeks of campaigning at loggerheads until a second round on October 30. A second round could allow the populist Bolsonaro to galvanize his troops and find new momentum.
On his Twitter account, he posted messages of support from his rare allies, such as football star Neymar or former US President Donald Trump who calls on Brazilians to “re-elect one of the greatest presidents in the world”. “I think Bolsonaro will challenge the result if he loses,” he said.says Adriano Laureno, “but that does not mean he will succeed. The international community will recognize the result quickly”._ Many fear a Brazilian remake of the assault on the Capitol in Washington in 2021 after Trump’s defeat.