Brazil - The Right Candidate Bolsonaro wins!!

Brazil - At Present

Mr. Bolsonaro, despite his long experience as a congressman from Rio de Janeiro, has gained from the perception of being a political outsider.

Ahead of the elections, he reinvented himself as an economic liberal, promising to reform the bloated pension system that allegedly has been gamed by the more privileged. Investors prefer to give Mr. Bolsonaro the benefit of the doubt for now. His popularity has also occasioned comparisons to other populist leaders around the world. His admiration for the country’s military dictatorship during the 1960s-1980s is well-known. The presidential frontrunner has made no secret of his misogynistic, homophobic and racist opinions. Many of these positions may be watered down to widen Mr. Bolsonaro’s appeal before the final polls. But so far, his trigger-happy instincts have not sufficiently troubled voters, whose tolerance for venality has worn thin over these years. They may, for instance, count on him to pass legislation to ease environmental restrictions and to crack down on crime. Mr. Haddad may consider moderating his party’s stance, but will be mindful of risking the alienation of his core constituency, the poor. 

Brazil – An Overview of past political leaders

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva serving 12 year Jail term No

In recent years Brazil has seen political turmoil beginning from a very popular leader- Lula da Silva to Michel Temer. These were established leaders who faced huge charges. For example, due to the anti-graft developments, it removed established leaders from the fray, including the most popular leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the former President from the left-wing Workers’ Party (PT) now serving a 12-year jail sentence. His bid to run for a third term was quashed by the electoral court, following the dismissal of an appeal against his 2017 conviction.

Under his successor Dilma Rousseff, Brazil plunged into its worst recession in a century. She was impeached, but more on technical grounds linked to fiscal mismanagement than any egregious violations. 

The outgoing President, Michel Temer, also came under the prosecution’s scanner but he survived. The overall atmosphere in the run-up to the elections has thus got murkier. 

Therefore due to the result Brazil has received under these established leaders, the population now wants anti-establishment leaders. An anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society.

The Political Campaign

The campaign for Sunday’s elections in Brazil is beset by an anti-establishment mood, as in several democracies. Legislators at the state and national levels are being elected, but it is the contest for the President’s post that has really polarized the campaign.

The Reason- Operation Car Wash

The personalized nature of the contest owes to the lingering shadow of Operation Car Wash, a buzzword for the anti-corruption campaign that underpins the confrontation between the legislature and the judiciary. A major anti-corruption known as Lava Jato, or Car Wash, and other interlocking investigations have seen more than 150 Brazilian business leaders, corporations and politicians - including Lula - prosecuted for corruption since 2014.

At the centre of the investigations into the multi-billion dollar distribution of patronage to political and bureaucratic bigwigs is Petrobras, the state-owned oil firm.

Presidential Candidates and Social Images.

There were going to be several opinions, and there was a sharp competition between the far right candidate Jair Bolsonaro and far left  candidate PT’s Fernado.  Mr. Bolsonaro is far right candidate, and ex army captain, and he has been  popular as anti-establishment leader.  Mr. Bolsonaro was stabbed in a rally, and he had been hospitalized. The campaigns was done from hospital bed itself.  While supporters of jailed leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva turned towards Fernado Hadda.

So, there was a sharp clash between far right and far left candidates, and that polarizd the society of Brazil.   The firebrand politician’s homophobic and misogynistic views triggered protests over the weekend by thousands of women.

  

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