The Guardian reported that leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won against far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the Brazilian presidential election. As we discussed with Professor Holt, Lula was originally elected president in 2002 leading to a leftist government that pushed social programs to address long standing structural inequalities in Brazil, like Zero Hunger, but became involved in political corruption that led to his arrest. Bolsonaro is dismissive of women, the LGBTQ, Brazilians of color, and social programs. He was elected in 2018 on a promise to crack down on corruption (see Duiker page 214). This latest election was followed by support from world leaders in the U.S., Venezuela, Canada, and Mexico as well as from outside of the Americas in China, Russia, Australia and others. This support comes with the hope for democracy in Brazil, stronger trade relations, and environmental action. This is in light of economic exploitation of the Amazon River basin for farming that may threaten the ecology of the planet according to our textbook readings (see Duiker page 214). The article mentions measures being taken by Norway, who will resume subsidies for the protection of the Amazon that stopped under Bolsonaro, who may reject Lula’s victory and threaten Brazilian democracy. This highlights Brazil’s growing power as China hopes to challenge the .US. with their combined economies. Through this election we can see the fragility of Brazilian democracy and its relationships with authoritarian leaders that have plagued the nation since its independence from colonial/imperial rule.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/31/a-new-era-world-leaders-react-to-lulas-victory-over-bolsonaro-in-brazil