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This Sunday, Brazilians will go to the polls for general elections in the midst of an unprecedented climate of tension and polarization, in part due to doubts generated by the president and candidate for re-election, Jair Bolsonaro, about whether he will admit a possible defeat in said elections. elections. Bolsonaro has also questioned the performance of the electoral system, the same one that elected him and allowed him to reach the Planalto Palace.
About 156 million citizens are called to the polls in these general elections in Brazil, being the largest electoral roll in the country’s history.
In these elections, Brazilians will elect the president, vice president and governors of each of the states; In addition to one third of the 81 members of the Senate – the other two thirds were elected in 2018 – they will also determine the 513 members of the Chamber of Deputies and all the members of the state legislative assemblies and the Legislative Chamber of the Federal District. .
Although there are 11 candidates for the Presidency, the two main ones to go to a second round or win in the first round are the current president Jair Bolsonaro, who aspires to a new term, and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, one of the most recognized politicians in the country. country, who was head of state between 2003 and 2010.
Brazil presents a wide polarization that has been echoed in the same electoral campaign. Both Bolsonaro and Lula have emphasized their political experience, but have also constantly attacked their opponents.
The vote of young people and evangelicals will be crucial; They also highlight issues such as economic recovery, the environment, the Amazon, security and the repositioning of Brazil at the international level.
But Bolsonaro’s threats not to recognize the results that are not in his favor generate fear of a possible coup or a scenario like the one the United States experienced after the defeat of Donald Trump. How does Brazil get to these elections? Is Brazilian democracy in danger?
We analyze it in this edition of El Debate together with our guests: Paulo Moura, journalist and political scientist; and Paulo Velasco, professor of international politics at the State University of Rio de Janeiro.
