Article

2022-10-31 Caribbean-Latin America

Brazil: Lula defeats Bolsonaro to win presidency in stunning election comeback

[JPost] The leftist former president overtook far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the dying moments of the bitterly-fought elections.

Former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won Brazil's bitterly-fought election on Sunday, according to pollster Datafolha, denying far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro a second term.

The polling firm called the election with 95% of the votes counted in Latin America's largest country. The official count stood at 50.7% of votes for Lula against 49.3% for Bolsonaro.

A significant number of votes still remained to be counted in the Bolsonaro stronghold state of Sao Paulo, but his leftist rival was inching ahead in a runoff marred by accusations from Lula's Workers Party that police suppressed votes in some regions.

TWO VISIONS FOR BRAZIL'S FUTURE
The election serves as a referendum on two starkly different - and vehemently opposed - visions for Brazil's future.

Bolsonaro has vowed to consolidate a sharp rightward turn in Brazilian politics after a presidency that witnessed one of the world's deadliest outbreaks of COVID-19 in the pandemic and widespread deforestation in the Amazon basin.

Lula promises more social and environmental responsibility, recalling the rising prosperity of his 2003-2010 presidency, before corruption scandals tarnished his Workers Party.

Bolsonaro has without proof described the voting system as fraud-prone, raising concern he may not concede defeat, following the example of his ideological ally, former US President Donald Trump.

That has added to tensions in Brazil's most polarizing election since its return to democracy in 1985 after a military dictatorship that Lula, a former union leader, rallied against and Bolsonaro, a former army captain, invokes with nostalgia.

ALLEGED VOTER SUPPRESSION
Lula allies on Sunday said police had stopped buses carrying voters on highways even though the electoral authority had prohibited them from doing so. Brazilian media reported that such operations were concentrated in the northeast, where Lula has the strongest support.

"What happened today is criminal. There is no justification for the (police) to mount roadblocks on Election Day," Workers Party President Gleisi Hoffman told journalists.

However, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), which runs Brazil's elections, said no one had been prevented from voting and declined to extend voting hours. The Federal Highway Police said they had complied with court orders.

With Bolsonaro stickers on her chest, Rio de Janeiro resident Ana Maria Vieira said she was certain to vote for the president, and would never countenance picking Lula.

"I saw what Lula and his criminal gang did to this country," she said, as she arrived to vote in Rio's Copacabana neighborhood, adding that she thought Bolsonaro's handling of the economy had been "fantastic."

A Lula victory would mark a stunning comeback for the leftist leader, who was jailed in 2018 for 19 months on bribery convictions that the Supreme Court overturned last year, clearing the way for him to seek a third presidential term.

In Sao Paulo, 31-year-old lawyer Gerardo Maiar said he was horrified by what Bolsonaro had done as president.

"The last four years were an embarrassment, both nationally and internationally," he said after voting. "I think it's ridiculous for Brazil

Posted by Frank G 2022-10-31 00:00|| || Front Page|| [14 views ] Top
File under: Commies

#1 Apparently. corruption is no bar; c.f. Biden

Posted by Mercutio 2022-10-31 09:45|| 2022-10-31 09:45|| Front Page Top

#2 The leftist former president overtook far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the dying moments of the bitterly-fought elections.

Gosh, where have we seen that before?

The election serves as a referendum on two starkly different - and vehemently opposed - visions for Brazil's future.

A Brazilian co-worker used to joke that "Brazil is a country of the future - and always will be."

Posted by SteveS 2022-10-31 10:40|| 2022-10-31 10:40|| Front Page Top

#3 Did you see all the network traffic between the US and Brazil?

Would we see all the network traffic if this was a paper ballot?

"Computer-security experts who study the [Brazilian] system say its design indeed makes it difficult to audit an election."

Why would you create a voting system that was difficult, near impossible to audit?

Bolsonaro vocalized his concerns back in July when he stated, “Elections that you can’t audit? That’s not an election. It’s fraud...”

Posted by mossomo 2022-10-31 12:59|| 2022-10-31 12:59|| Front Page Top

#4 "Scored 4 goals in the 18th minute of extra time."

Posted by swksvolFF 2022-10-31 13:44|| 2022-10-31 13:44|| Front Page Top

#5 Brazil's election looks somewhat like our 2020 election.

Posted by JohnQC 2022-10-31 16:59|| 2022-10-31 16:59|| Front Page Top

#6 … except the Brazilian ladrão did prison time, whereas the corrupt American grifter and his sick family got off scot-free

Posted by Billy B 2022-10-31 17:04|| 2022-10-31 17:04|| Front Page Top

07:14 Grom the Reflective
07:12 Procopius2k
07:11 DooDahMan
07:10 M. Murcek
07:09 Skidmark
07:03 Procopius2k
07:03 Skidmark
07:03 Anon1
07:02 Procopius2k
07:01 Procopius2k
07:01 Anon1
07:00 M. Murcek
07:00 Skidmark
06:59 Procopius2k
06:57 Procopius2k
06:55 DooDahMan
06:47 M. Murcek
06:45 Skidmark
06:43 Skidmark
06:42 Skidmark
06:38 Besoeker
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