By Catarina Vita
November 30, 2022
From conversations in Brazilian bars to presidential debates that seem more informal than the latter, different opinions about the country’s political past, present and future have recently surfaced. When Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, announced his candidacy for president at the beginning of 2020, strong emotions ranging from extreme concern to joy competed in Brazil’s socio-political arena. In 2018 Lula was imprisoned for his involvement in the high-profile Operation Lava Jato corruption and money laundering scandal. Still, she was released a year later when his arrest was ruled unconstitutional. In March 2020, Lula formally announced his presidential candidacy to the press. His opponent, Jair Bolsonaro, whose conservative populist ideals and anti-Lulism comprise his main characteristics, served as Brazil’s president for the last four years. The political stage was, thus, set for a direct tussle between the two adversaries and a possible end to the conservative-leftist national divide.
Context
The Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT), the political party that Lula represents, ruled Brazil for years. Lula and Dilma Rousseff, his successor, were among the rulers with the highest approval rates in the country’s history. By spearheading the bolsa familia welfare program, monetary aid for families in need and affirmative action to boost the mobility of marginalized ethnic groups, the PT systematically tackles Brazil’s social inequalities. . Nonetheless, allegations of money laundering and corruption quickly destabilized the party, culminating in Rousseff’s impeachment and Lula’s imprisonment.
Jair Bolsonaro emerged in the public eye after being one of the firmest advocates for Dilma’s impeachment. His proposals included neoliberal economic practices, such as privatization, which has encouraged lucrative practices such as the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest. He had also shown himself an enemy of Brazilian public universities, cutting funds for these institutions throughout his mandate. A vocal defender of Brazil’s 1964-1985 military dictatorship, he also endeavored to loosen gun laws. Amid widespread outrage against PT’s embroilment in Lava Jato, Bolsonaro easily ascended to presidency in 2018. His victory for the middle to upper-class of Brazil, where “anti-PTism” dominated, spelled the end of corruption and the start of strong leadership. Considering the flow of events from 2018 to the present, this was not the outcome of Bolsonaro’s mandate.
From the start of his time in office, Bolsonaro fast-tracked deforestation processes in the Amazon Rainforest and neglected African religious persecution. He diverted attention from the latter by stoking anger about “Christophobia,” the supposed discrimination against Brazil’s Christian community. The COVID-19 pandemic then emerged, and Bolsonaro, denying vaccine proposals and appointing four different Ministers of Health in a year, drove Brazil into a downward spiral of unrest. In the nation’s Northern region, the excessive burning of the Amazon Rainforest prompted a saturation of patients with respiratory problems in public hospitals. In Amapá, there was a general blackout and lack of respirators for COVID-19 patients.
The Elections
Since Brazil welcomes more than two political candidates, politicians from various parties had campaigns and participated in the presidential debate. On Oct. 2, Brazilians cast their ballots for presidential candidates and regional representatives. Besides Lula and Bolsonaro, the most-voted candidate was Simone Tebet, who won over 4.16% of the public. Since no candidate had over 50% of the votes, the next president was determined in a runoff election held on Oct. 30.
During this 28-day interval, both candidates raced for the Brazilian majority. This period only weakened the Bolsonarist campaign. Carla Zambelli, a politician and ally of Bolsonaro, drew a gun in public; open carry has been illegal in Brazil since 2005. Roberto Jefferson, another prominent supporter of Bolsonaro, was imprisoned and attacked the police with fire weapons, causing many police officers to vote against Bolsonaro.
Despite Lula carrying the majority in both shifts and clinching the presidency, regional representation in Brazil virtually belongs to rightist and conservative-leading members. More than half of Parliament subscribes to the ideologically inconsistent centrão; congressmen championing the center-right regularly make alliances with far-right politicians.
The Future: What does it mean for the world?
Generally, the international community received the election outcome positively, and it was lauded as a victory for environmental preservation and religious and ethnic tolerance.
Nonetheless, with Bolsonaro’s continued presence in the political realm, Lula will face obstacles. The former president has previously asserted his belief in the illegitimacy of Brazil’s electoral process. Joining this with his overall appreciation of the military dictatorship in Brazil and insinuations of a possible coup, the world must remain alert. Furthermore, the inconsistency between Lula’s proposals and Parliamentary political persuasions may slow the process of passing Lula-favorable laws. Although Lula’s victory is a great step towards Brazilian stability and democracy, it is unfortunately not the only determinant.