Lula da Silva and Jair Bolsonaro: the battle for the Presidency of Brazil

First modification: 08/27/2022 – 01:14

Although they are the best known, Lula and Bolsonaro are not the only candidates for the Presidency of Brazil. A total of 12 candidates registered with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) to contest the presidential seat. Of these candidacies, four are from women.

Former trade unionist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a candidate for the Workers’ Party, was already president of Brazil for two consecutive terms between 2003 and 2010. Now, Lula aspires to a third presidential term.

For his part, current President Jair Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party, has been in office since 2019 and aspires to be elected to govern for a second consecutive term.

It is a crucial election for Brazil and has been classified as “high voltage” by many analysts, as it is characterized by the polarization of voters. This fact is evident in the two candidates who lead the elections, since they represent two very different political sides.

Bolsonaro is described as populist and nationalist, and he also has an agenda backed by very conservative and Christian sectors. On the other shore is former president Lula da Silva, a former union leader who was jailed for corruption until his convictions were overturned.

It is a campaign with proposals for very different visions of the country, but with common points: to lift the economy after the pandemic; continue to face Covid-19 in the midst of the adversities that the international scene currently presents and fight against local problems such as poverty, insecurity and lack of infrastructure.

In this edition of El Debate we analyze the electoral environment in Brazil from the hand of our guests:

– Johanna Amaya, political scientist and internationalist, professor at King’s College London and University College of London.

– Wagner Iglecias, sociologist and professor at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil.