News

Opinion | If Bolsonaro Loses Brazil’s Election, Will He Respect the Result?


On the surface, everything seems calm. An outsider walking through the streets would not have the impression that a presidential election was about to be held. Looking out the window, I noticed that the Brazilian flags – signifying support for Mr Bolsonaro – had been removed from neighboring facades. One clue isn’t clear: It could be the response to failure, or the calm before the storm. There wasn’t even much talk between friends and family regarding the election; the lines were drawn in 2018 and haven’t moved much since.

However, for all social polarizations, there is still tremendous support for democracy here: 75 percent of the people that it is better than any other form of government. From the outset, Mr. da Silva attempted to tap into that shared sentiment and open a broad front against Mr. Bolsonaro. He picked an old opponent from the right, Geraldo Alckmin, as his sidekick; courtesy business leaders; and secure confirmation from outstanding central person. In this friendly atmosphere, supporters of the centre-left candidate, Ciro Gomes, are currently 6 percent in the polls, maybe even throwing their votes behind the former president. If that happens, Bolsonaro will surely be beaten.

That glorious prospect did little to dispel the anxiety that was pervading the country. Physically, it’s impossible not to notice what could happen. The possibilities are terrifying: The polls could be wrong, and Mr Bolsonaro could win. The polls may be right, and Mr Bolsonaro may refuse to concede defeat, and even initiate a coup. Every day seems to be the length of a day on Venus – about 5,832 hours – that passes by the hysteria of my Twitter feed.

There are simply too many things at stake. First, there is the democratic process itself, which Mr. Bolsonaro has put into rotation. On the other hand, it is the future of our judiciary. Only in the next year, there will be two empty seats on the Supreme Court, out of 11 seats. If in power, Mr Bolsonaro will certainly seize the opportunity to bring in tough judges as he did with his two most recent appointees. A Trump-style judicial reconstruction is likely to go downhill.

Then there’s the environment. Hitherto This year, more wildfires have been recorded in the Brazilian Amazon than all of 2021, which is already catastrophic enough. Since the beginning of September, dense beam Smoke has enveloped several states of Brazil. Under the Bolsonaro administration, deforestation increased, environmental agencies were demolished and Indigenous death has increased. Reversing these disastrous environmental policies could not be more urgent.

news7f

News7F: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button