Trump-Endorsed Jair Bolsonaro to Face Lula Da Silva in Run-off Elections Later This Month
Jose Nino
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After the polls closed on October 2, 2022, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are set to face off in a runoff race election on October 30.
Lula picked up 48.31% of the vote while Bolsonaro attained 43.3% of the vote.
According to Frances Martel of Breitbart News, Lula was previously convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for purchasing high-end beachfront property with taxpayer funds during his time as president. Brazil’s Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF), the country’s leading court, overturned the convictions in 2021, which allowed him to run for the presidency again
Bolsonaro won the presidency in 2018 after comfortably defeating Fernando Haddad by a margin of 55% to 45%.
The right-wing populist leader’s presidency has been marked by strong anti-corruption stances and the novel introduction of pro-gun policies — something that was unheard of in Latin American politics for decades. These policies have been instrumental in allowing law-abiding Brazilians to stand up to criminals.
On top of that, Bolsonaro has maintained pro-liberty stances throughout the Wuhan virus pandemic.
Brazil’s electoral system stipulates that if no candidate attains over 50% of the vote, the top two candidates head forward to the final runoff election.
Lula’s performance was in line with what the polls initially projected. On the other hand, Bolsonaro largely overperformed at the polls. According to a recent poll by the firms Abrapel and Ipespe, 46% of eligible Brazilian voters were projected to support Lula, while only 35% were supposed to back Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro was one of the few international leaders who had friendly relations with former president Donald Trump. In fact, because of this amicable relationship and both figures’ populist profiles, Trump recently called on Brazilians to re-elect Bolsonaro.
For Brazil to move forward and reach its full potential, it must re-elect Bolsonaro. The re-election of Lula will only condemn Brazil to perpetual Third World status.
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