While there are nearly a dozen candidates on the ballot, the race has been dominated by two favorites and polar opposites: right-wing incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro and left-wing former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, leader of the Workers’ Party.
Bolsonaro, 67, is running for re-election under the conservative Liberal Party. He has campaigned to increase mining, privatize public companies and generate more sustainable energy to reduce energy prices. He has promised to continue paying a monthly benefit of R$600 (approximately US$110) known as Auxilio Brasil.
Often called the “Trump of the tropics,” Bolsonaro, who has the support of important evangelical leaders, is a highly polarizing figure. His government is known for its support of the ruthless exploitation of the land in the Amazon, leading to record numbers of deforestation. Environmentalists warn that the future of the rainforest could be at stake in this election.
Bolsonaro has also been widely criticized for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. More than 686,000 people in Brazil have died from the virus.
Lula, 76, who was president for two consecutive terms, from 2003 to 2011, has focused his campaign on removing Bolsonaro from office and has highlighted his past achievements throughout his campaign.
He left office with a 90% approval rating in 2011 and is largely credited with lifting millions of Brazilians out of extreme poverty through the “Bolsa Familia” welfare program.
His campaign has promised a new tax regime that will allow for more public spending. He has promised to end hunger in the country, which has returned under the Bolsonaro government. Lula also promises to work to reduce carbon emissions and deforestation in the Amazon.
Lula, however, is also no stranger to controversy. He was convicted of corruption and money laundering in 2017, on charges stemming from the extensive “Operation Lava Jato” investigation into the state-owned oil company Petrobras. But after serving less than two years, a Supreme Court judge overturned Lula’s conviction in March 2021, paving the way for him to run for president for the sixth time.
