Brazilians will cast their votes this weekend to decide on two presidential candidates who embody sharply contrasting political ideologies.
The incumbent president, Jair Bolsonaro, is a far-Right populist and retired military officer. Former president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva (or Lula), meanwhile, is an icon of the Latin American Left and former head of Brazil’s metalworkers’ union.
According to the latest opinion polls, Lula holds a commanding 17-point lead over his rival. Although he looks set to fall short of the 50% voting share needed to avoid a second-round vote, which would take place on 30 October, he remains odds-on to win the run-off. For his part, Bolsonaro has suggested he may not accept that result, casting doubt on Brazil’s electoral process and, by extension, its democracy.
