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Is there a ‘third way’ for Brazil?

As Bolsonaro and Lula square up for next year’s election, some Brazilians demand an alternative. But does it risk delivering more of the same?

By Katerina Hatzikidi
Is there a ‘third way’ for Brazil?
Bolsonaro and Lula are expected to contest next year's presidential election - REUTERS/Alamy Stock Photo
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There is less than a year until Brazilians deliver their verdict on President Jair Bolsonaro.

With next October’s presidential election slowly approaching, Bolsonaro, whose popularity has crashed amid his desperate handling of the COVID crisis, is expected to face a stiff challenge at the ballot box. The main threat to the far-Right incumbent is expected to come from Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, or Lula, as he is widely known.

Lula, who governed Brazil between 2003 and 2010, was convicted of corruption and sentenced to more than nine years in prison in 2017. That conviction was then overturned by a supreme court judge in March 2021, leaving the centre-left candidate free to pursue another presidential campaign.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0