PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION BRAZIL. Brazil will elect its new head of state on October 2 and 30. Jair Bolsonaro, the current President, and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, one of his predecessors, should fight a fierce battle to win.
A pivotal moment is brewing in Brazil. In a few months, on October 2 and 30, citizens will elect their future president of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The campaign was launched on Thursday July 21, 2022 and the official entry into the race of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazilian President from 2003 to 2010, followed three days later by the announcement of the candidacy of Jair Bolsonaro, current head of the state seeking a second term. Main candidates for the presidential election in Brazil, Jair Bolsonara and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are already engaged in a fierce duel, that of the far right against the left, which should punctuate the electoral campaign.
The battle between the current head of state candidate for his succession and his predecessor has begun and Jair Bolosnaro dealt a heavy blow in parallel with the announcement of his candidacy at the Liberal Party (PL) convention in Rio de Janeiro on July 24. Without naming his opponent, the Brazilian President accused Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of wanting to restrict freedoms. A speech supposed to undermine the popularity of the former head of state given favorite in the polls three months before the presidential election. Jair Bolsonaro added to pray “so that Brazil never knows the pains of communism” referring to the political situations of neighboring countries such as Venezuela. The head of state and now presidential candidate for 2022 also urged his voters to “take to the streets for the last time on September 7”, National Day in Brazil, to support him. A demonstration that will also express Jair Bolsonaro’s opposition to the Brazilian Supreme Court, the Supreme Federal Court: “These few deaf people in black coats must understand what the voice of the people is. […] The Supreme is the people!” chanted the president-candidate.
When will the 2022 presidential election take place in Brazil?
The Brazilian presidential election is scheduled for Sundays October 2 and 30, 2022. The ballot to elect the head of state is held every four years and the last vote, which was held on October 28, 2018, was Sacred Jair Bolsonaro. This year the politician is a candidate for his succession for a second consecutive term. It should be noted that the 1988 Constitution limits the exercise of the function of President of the Federative Republic of Brazil to two consecutive terms but does not prevent later former heads of state from representing themselves, like Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Once elected, the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil is in place for four years. But before settling at the head of the country it is necessary to win the majority vote in two rounds. A victory in the first round of the presidential election is possible if a candidate wins an absolute majority of the votes, ie 50% of the votes plus one vote. Otherwise, the two candidates in the lead are qualified for the second round and it is then the one who obtains the best score in the ballot box who is elected. Each candidate presents himself with a running mate who is a candidate for the vice-presidency. During the presidential election, Brazilians elect both the head of state and his right-hand man. He too is elected for a term of four.
On the suffrage side, the participation rate is generally high because of the compulsory vote imposed in the 1988 Constitution which obliges all citizens from 18 to 70 to participate in all the elections. An obligation from which Brazilians aged 16 to 18 and those over 70 are exempt, but also soldiers and illiterate people. This obligation does not prevent an increase in the abstention rate in recent years. In the 2018 presidential election, 21.3% of voters abstained.
Who are the presidential candidates in Brazil?
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Jair Bolsonaro are presented as the main players in the 2022 presidential campaign in Brazil. Both formalized their candidacies on July 21 and 24, 2022. Former President Lula da Silva thus makes his return to politics after being imprisoned after allegations of corruption were brought against him and therefore deprived of the presidential election. of 2018. Released in 2021 from his conviction deemed biased by the Supreme Court, the former President of Brazil remains very popular with the working classes.
Facing him, Jair Bolsonaro shows a decline in popularity but retains the advantage with right-wing voters, the army and a few economic players. However, it is towards left-wing voters and young people that the head of state is turning. “We must attract young leftists to our camp, show them the truth,” he declared during his meeting in Rio on July 24.
A third candidate, who was the first to formalize his candidacy for the presidential election on July 20, has advanced: the former center-left minister, Ciro Gomes. The man addresses dissidents or those disappointed by the Workers’ Party (PT) represented by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, but the Brazilian press seems to think that a rapprochement or an alliance between the two men is still possible. Other candidates can still advance on the starting line like João Doria, the governor of the State of São Paulo could be a third way between Bolsonaro and Lula. Finally, the judge responsible for the imprisonment of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and former Minister of Justice of Jair Bolosnaro, Sergio Moro, could try his luck for the presidency in 2022 by presenting himself as another right-wing alternative to the current head of state. The submission of candidacies is possible until August 15, by which time all the contenders for the presidency of Brazil will be known.
What are the polls for the 2022 presidential election in Brazil?
Three months before the 2022 presidential election in Brazil, the polls give the advantage to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. According to the latest survey conducted in June by the Datafolha institute consulted by theAFPthe former head of state is leading the voting intentions in the first round with a considerable lead over Jair Bolosnaro, 47% against 28%.