Millions of Brazilians will vote Sunday in an election dominated by two rivals: incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro who Lula defeated four years ago.
asserted
Lula → vote → who
Twelve candidates are on the presidential ballot, but only Lula and Bolsonaro are thought to have a real chance of becoming Brazil’s next head of state.
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Lula → think → state
If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top 2 will advance to a runoff on Oct. 25.
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2 → receive → Oct.
Lula, who at 80 is one of the world’s oldest heads of state, is running in his seventh presidential election.
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who → run → election
Bolsonaro, 45, is competing in his first and seeking to return his family name to power after his father governed Brazil from 2019 through 2022.
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father → compete → 2022
The two represent opposite sides of the political spectrum, with conflicting visions on issues ranging from how to tackle organized crime to the relationship Latin America’s biggest country should have with the Trump administration.
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country → represent → administration
Brazil holds general elections every four years, and voting is mandatory.
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voting → hold → elections
Those who fail to cast a ballot without justification face a small fine.
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who → fail → fine
On Sunday, Brazilians will choose a president, state and federal representatives as well as governors and some senators.
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Brazilians → choose → president
Elections for mayors and city councilors are also held every four years, but in different years.
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Elections → hold → years
Almost 160 million eligible voters will use electronic voting machines to punch in the digits corresponding to their candidates, preparing number-heavy lists.
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voters → use → lists
Brazilian authorities adopted electronic voting machines in the 1990s to combat fraud.
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authorities → adopt → fraud
In earlier local elections, ballot boxes were stuffed or stolen, and paper ballots were routinely falsified, according to Brazil’s electoral authority.
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ballots → stuff → authority
The country held no direct presidential elections between 1960 and 1989, a period that included military rule from 1964 to 1985.
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that → hold → 1985
Now, results are reported mere hours after polls close.
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polls → report → ?
In the lead-up to the 2022 vote, Jair Bolsonaro repeatedly cast unfounded doubts on Brazil’s electronic voting system.
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Bolsonaro → cast → system
No significant fraud has ever been detected.
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fraud → detect → ?
A historically popular leader tries for a fourth term
Lula, who got his start as a union worker and has a missing pinky finger following an accident in a factory when he was 19, has at times inspired cult-like devotion.
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he → try → devotion
He spent more than a year in prison on corruption convictions that were later annulled before winning a third nonconsecutive term in 2022.
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that → spend → 2022
Former U.S. President Barack Obama once called him “the world’s most popular politician.”
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Obama → call → him
But during his current term, Lula’s approval ratings fell as low as 24%, one of his lowest levels.
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ratings → fall → levels
Voters’ concerns about crime and the cost of living could hurt him at the ballot box.
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concerns → hurt → box
He has promised to ensure Brazilians are the ones to benefit from the country’s rare minerals and resources, protect the Amazon rainforest and continue his flagship welfare program Bolsa Familia.
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Brazilians → promise → program
Sen. Bolsonaro promises to follow in his father’s footsteps
With former President Jair Bolsonaro barred from running as he serves a 27-year-long sentence for a coup attempt, his eldest son has largely embraced his father’s ultra-conservative agenda, while at times trying to strike a more moderate communication style to attract centrist voters.
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son → promise → voters
His hardline security policies have been a pillar of his campaign, and polls show these proposals are popular among Brazilians.
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proposals → show → Brazilians
The senator has pledged to fight the country’s criminal groups by building El Salvador-style megaprisons, following the Trump administration’s lead by designating transnational gangs terrorist organizations and reducing the age to be tried as an adult to 16.
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senator → pledge → 16
Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, which plays a vital role in stopping climate change, hit a record high under former President Bolsonaro.
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which → play → Bolsonaro
His son has also denied human-caused climate change and only committed to stopping illegal deforestation.
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son → deny → deforestation
Sen. Bolsonaro’s admission of accepting millions of dollars from disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro to produce a film on his father’s life has cast a shadow over his campaign.
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admission → accept → campaign
Trump looms large
Lula has repeatedly warned the U.S. not to meddle in Brazil’s elections.
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Lula → loom → elections
The Trump administration did not respond to a request for comment on whether it is seeking to interfere in the vote.
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it → respond → vote
Last year, Washington imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods, citing — among other reasons — the trial of Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally.
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Washington → impose → Bolsonaro
Earlier this year, the U.S. imposed a new round of tariffs, citing unfair trade practices despite running a U.S. surplus, and classified Brazil’s biggest drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organizations shortly after a visit to the White House from Sen. Bolsonaro.
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U.S. → impose → Bolsonaro
Lula opposed both moves.
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Lula → oppose → moves
A victory by Sen. Bolsonaro would add Brazil to a list of Latin American countries — including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru — that have elected Trump-friendly governments in recent years.
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that → add → years
Lula has made defending Brazilian sovereignty a major campaign issue.
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defending → make → sovereignty
In the days before the election, his team launched a Portuguese version of the Bad Bunny song, “Lo que le pasó a Hawaii,” which invokes the U.S. colonization of Hawaii as a cautionary tale.
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which → launch → tale
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Brigida reported from Mexico City.
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Brigida → report → City
The Aporia
