Brazil's Bolsonaro is trailing in the polls. Critics say he could be plotting a military coup.
President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, who is running for a second four-year term and is trailing badly in the polls, has consistently raised concerns about election security. According to The New York Times, Brazil's military has begun echoing his claims.
A survey conducted last month showed Bolsonaro polling at around 27 percent in the first round, well behind former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as "Lula," at 48 percent. If neither candidate wins 50 percent of the vote outright, they will proceed to a runoff to be held four weeks later, on Oct. 28.
Ahead of the 2018 election, one poll showed Lula, who left office in 2010 with an approval rating of 80 percent, leading Bolsonaro in first-round polling. Lula achieved this lead despite the fact that he was disqualified from running by a 2017 corruption conviction. Brazil's supreme court has since thrown out the conviction and restored Lula's political rights.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Edson Fachin, Brazil's top election official, said concerns about election fraud have been "artificially created by those who want to destroy the Brazilian democracy," while Bolsonaro claims he just wants a "clean, transparent, safe election." Bolsonaro has suggested that the military should conduct an independent vote count on the day of the election, a move critics fear is an attempt to lay the groundwork for a coup.
Brazil suffered a military coup in 1964, resulting in a dictatorial regime that lasted until 1985. Bolsonaro has spoken positively of the dictatorship in the past.
-
Switzerland could vote to cap its populationUnder the Radar Swiss People’s Party proposes referendum on radical anti-immigration measure to limit residents to 10 million
-
Political cartoons for February 15Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include political ventriloquism, Europe in the middle, and more
-
The broken water companies failing England and WalesExplainer With rising bills, deteriorating river health and a lack of investment, regulators face an uphill battle to stabilise the industry
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
-
US to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train armySpeed Read Trump has accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks
-
Grand jury rejects charging 6 Democrats for ‘orders’ videoSpeed Read The jury refused to indict Democratic lawmakers for a video in which they urged military members to resist illegal orders
