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SÃO PAULO, Brazil (Brazil) – There is no shortage of drama before Brazil's presidential election on Sunday. One candidate was imprisoned, another stabbed, and one week before the vote, women organized national demonstrations against the leader.
The presidential race, the most torn and discordant race since the end of the military dictatorship in the 1980s, was for many Brazilians the choice of the least bad option.
Who directs?
According to polls, Jair Bolsonaro, former army captain and member of the far right, will take first place by far. A member of the Congress since 1991, he has long been a marginal figure, best known for his inflammatory remarks defending the military dictatorship of Brazil and attacking women, gays and blacks.
In addition to electing the next president from 13 candidates, voters will also choose 27 governors and more than 1,600 state and federal lawmakers. In Brazil, there are 147.3 million eligible voters and voting is mandatory.
The political anger and frustration of deep-rooted political corruption has increased, Bolsonaro has portrayed himself as an anti-establishment maverick who can effectively fight corruption and contain the rise of violence and crime. .
Its main rival, the former mayor of São Paulo, Fernando Haddad, took part in the race only last month. He was chosen to represent the Left Workers Party after former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sentenced to prison for corruption and prevented him from running as a party candidate.
Until the courts excluded him, Mr da Silva was leading the polls. But it seems that the Workers' Party has not been able to transfer the broad support of Mr da Silva among the impoverished or at least charismatic Brazilians Mr Haddad.
Marina Silva, the daughter of rubber tappers from Amazon; Geraldo Alckmin, former governor pragmatic and favorable to the São Paulo market; and a candidate, Cabo Daciolo, who describes himself as a messenger from heaven.
Will Brazil have a new president?
The last polls before polling day showed the dominant position of Mr. Bolsonaro widening as the evangelical and agribusiness lobbies rallied to him. But it still seemed likely to not reach the 50% plus one threshold to avoid runoff. Investigations project him into competition in a second round of voting on October 28 against Mr. Haddad.
Some analysts believe, however, that Bolsonaro, 63, could defy the forecast and emerge victorious Sunday night, despite – or perhaps because of – his lack of support from a major political party and from the US. a small budget that relied on social media. based.
Brazil uses an electronic voting system and should compile the results a few hours after the polls close, in the most western state of Acre, at 6 pm. Eastern Time.
What do the voters think?
Soaring crime, the worst recession ever and institutionalized political corruption were the three main themes of the campaign.
Although he did little on his seven terms as legislator, Bolsonaro gained notoriety when a massive corruption investigation known as Lava Jato, or Car Wash, engulfed all major political parties from Brazil.
He has cultivated an image of abrasive but honest politician with a clean criminal record. This contrasted with the Workers Party, which has been widely blamed for the vast corruption projects of the past 15 years.
For many voters, violent crime was the main concern. In the past year, Brazil has recorded an average of 175 murders a day, surpassing its previous macabre recording.
Mr Bolsonaro, who insists that he is the only candidate strong enough to stop criminals, has often posed for photos with his fingers pointed like loaded pistols. With his unfiltered comments and his amateur videos on social media, he proposed concrete solutions to the problems of the country: he wants to make it easier for citizens to possess weapons and the police to shoot criminals.
Critics fear, however, that Bolsonaro will undermine democratic institutions and highlight explosions Congress speech in 1993, when he said: "I am in favor of dictatorship".
As polling stations improved, opponents rallied to the motto # EleNão, or #NotHim, on the streets and on the Internet to encourage voters to elect people other than Mr. Bolsonaro.
The Brazilian spraying economy also divided voters. Most of the country's poorest people, who have benefited from expanded social programs during Mr. da Silva's two terms as president, have adopted his replacement, Mr. Haddad. The Workers' Party insisted that Mr. Haddad "would make Brazil happy again".
But many other voters accuse the Workers' Party of the deep recession that began under its leadership. Whenever surveys show that Bolsonaro's popularity is growing, markets are mobilizing in the hope of reducing social spending and making tax changes.
Bolsonaro's supporters also fear that Haddad's victory will undermine the Car Wash investigation, which could lead to the release of Mr. da Silva, despite his conviction for corruption.
