Far-right candidate set to win Brazil presidency
BRAZIL looks set to lurch sharply to the right with the election of a former army captain who wants to privatise state companies in an ailing economy and liberalise gun ownership.
Barring an upset, Jair Bolsonaro (63) will win the presidency after a divisive campaign that encompassed his stabbing, an onslaught of fake news and the imprisonment on corruption charges of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who had been the front-runner.
Lula’s successor, Fernando Haddad (55), has largely failed to shake off public anger over his Workers’ Party’s record of corruption.
So far, voters appear willing to give Mr Bolsonaro the benefit of the doubt despite a history of sceptical statements about the virtues of Brazilian democracy during seven terms as a lawmaker.
Last week, he scolded his son Eduardo, a 34-year-old federal deputy, when a July video surfaced in which he suggested closing the Supreme Court should judges impede his father’s presidency.
Mr Bolsonaro has dipped in recent polls but has kept his strong lead in surveys released on the eve of yesterday’s runoff vote. He had 55pc of support, against 45pc for Mr Haddad.
As he voted in Rio de Janeiro early yesterday, Mr Bolsonaro said he expected to win. After casting his ballot in Sao Paulo, Mr Haddad said that “Brazil woke up” in the past few days, referring to his recent rise in opinion polls.
Voters appear willing togive him the benefit of the doubt