Brazil's Election: Lula, Bolsonaro, and the Battle for the Future
Polls show Lula with a narrow lead as Flávio Bolsonaro leans on foreign allies and a fractured right-wing base.
- Brazil's presidential campaign officially launched this week, pitting current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a tight race many view as a choice between fundamentally different visions for the nation's future.
- With former President Jair Bolsonaro ineligible for office following his 2022 election conspiracy conviction, his son Flávio now represents the far-right movement, which remains better organized and more deeply rooted than a decade ago.
- Supporters credit Lula with rebuilding institutions and reducing hunger, though critics cite sluggish economic growth and persistent crime concerns, while some on the left criticize his slow pace on land reform.
- Polls show a tight race between the two candidates, with the election moving to an October 25 runoff if no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote in the October 4 first round.
- If Lula is reelected, Brazil is expected to continue pursuing an independent foreign policy, strengthening South-South cooperation and deepening its role in BRICS while resisting efforts to pull Latin America back into Washington's geopolitical orbit.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Analysis of the re-opening of the Directo da Redação on the Lula and Bolsonaro elections. See the strategies, the debates and the political scenario for 2026.
Brazil’s Election: Lula, Bolsonaro, and the Battle for the Future
This week marks the beginning of Brazil’s presidential campaign, with the two front-runners—current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro—officially launching their campaigns. After visiting Brazil and talking with politicians, activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens, I came away with the conviction that this is one of the most consequential presidential elections in [...]
Medea Benjamin – Brazil’s Election: Lula, Bolsonaro, and the Battle for the Future
October 4 presidential election in Latin America’s largest country will either be a significant global set-back for the Trumpian Right or another milestone in its advance. Medea Benjamin is co-founder of Global Exchange and CODEPINK: Women for Peace. She is the co-author, with Nicolas J.S. Davies, of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, available from OR Books in November 2022. Other books include, “Inside Iran: The Real History…
Néstor Prieto Amador The president is seeking reelection by focusing on his administration and confronting the far right's moral panic with tangible economic growth. Brazil kicks off a polarized presidential election, and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has decided not to contest it where the far right wants. The campaign began this Sunday, August 16, and the president opened it at the Primeiro de Maio stadium in São Bernardo do Campo—formerly Vila Eu…
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