"My Vote Won't Go to Any of Them": Brazil's Polarized Election Reaches Breaking Point
Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro are locked in a dead heat as the US and Australia abruptly close their diplomatic missions in Brasilia. With 160 million voters and deep disillusionment, the country braces for a runoff.
Brazil is heading into Sunday's election with its diplomatic missions shuttered and its electorate deeply divided. The United States suspended consular services in Brasilia on Friday over "security concerns." Australia closed its embassy for the same reason. Neither gave any further explanation.
The closures came just two days before Brazilians cast their ballots in a race that has been defined by scandal, insult, and a pervasive sense of disillusionment. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 80, is in a dead heat with Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, the son of the far-right former president. Opinion polls predict the vote will go to a runoff on 25 October.
The campaign has not been edifying. Brazil's patron saint, Our Lady of Aparecida, became an unlikely flashpoint after rumours spread that Bolsonaro planned to strip her of her position if elected. Bolsonaro issued fierce denials while Lula took to the campaign trail clutching a statue of the saint. The electoral court ordered the "untrue" posts to be taken down.
Then Lula handed his opponents ammunition by saying that men were "cowards" about prostate exams, while women learn to receive a touch from a young age. Clips of the remark circulated widely online. "It's really turned into a circus," said Gisele Sousa, a 45-year-old clothing shop employee. "My vote won't go to any of them."
That sentiment appears widespread. Many of the nation's 160 million registered voters are disenchanted with their options. Marcelo Vilanova, a 32-year-old fish market manager, said he was voting for Lula as the "lesser of two evils." Lucas Sales, a 38-year-old cell phone shop owner, is voting for Bolsonaro even if "he himself isn't the best option," citing his promise to be tough on crime.
Lula is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term. He points to falling inflation and unemployment and a sharp reduction in Amazon deforestation. But voters complain about the cost of living and are fed up with violence and crime. He has responded with a flurry of measures, increasing social welfare payments and banning sports betting. On a podcast Thursday, he said his rival was not even qualified "to serve as a building manager."
Bolsonaro, a senator since 2019, has proven a tough foe. He has vowed that Lula will be "ousted from the presidency" on Sunday and promised to be tough on crime. He has also had to admit during the campaign that he asked a jailed banker at the heart of one of Brazil's largest fraud cases to bankroll a biopic about his father. He remains under investigation over the financing of the film.
Pressure from US President Donald Trump has loomed large over the campaign. Edinho Silva, president of Lula's Workers' Party, said the American consular closures "make absolutely no sense" and described them as "one of the ways Trump has to vie for Brazilian public opinion." Lula has made Brazilian sovereignty a central plank of his campaign, warning Washington not to meddle.
With the race tied and the country on edge, the only certainty is that half of Brazil will be furious with the result. And the abrupt departure of two major diplomatic missions suggests the world is bracing for whatever comes next.
Written by Sandy van Dongen sandy.vandongen@alpineweekly.com