Electoral stunner for right winger

Brazil

A far-right former army captain who expresses nostalgia for Brazil’s military dictatorship won its presidential election by a surprisingly large margin yesterday but fell just short of getting enough votes to avoid a second-round runoff against a leftist rival.

Jair Bolsonaro, whose last-minute surge almost gave him an electoral stunner, had 46.7 per cent compared to 28.5 percent for former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad, Brazil’s Superior Electoral Tribunal said after all the votes were counted. He needed over 50 percent support to win outright.

Polls predicted Bolsonaro would come out in front yesterday, but he far outperformed expectations, blazing past competitors with more financing, institutional backing of parties and free air time on television.

Ultimately, Bolsonaro’s strong showing reflects a yearning for the past as much as a sign of the future. The candidate from the tiny Social and Liberal Party made savvy use of Twitter and Facebook to spread his message that only he could end the corruption, crime and economic malaise that has seized Brazil in recent years – and bring back the good ol’ days and traditional values.

‘‘I voted against thievery and corruption,’’ said Mariana Prado, a 54-year-old human resources expert. ‘‘I know that everyone promises to end these two things, but I feel Bolsonaro is the only one can help end my anxieties.’’

The two candidates have painted starkly different visions of the country’s past and future.

Bolsonaro has portrayed a nation in collapse, where drug traffickers and politicians steal with equal impunity, and moral rot has set in.

He has advocated loosening gun ownership laws so individuals can fight off criminals, giving police a freer hand to use force and restoring ‘‘traditional’’ Brazilian values — though some take issue with his definition of those values in light of his approving allusions to dictatorship era torturers and his derisive comments about women, blacks and gay people.

He capitalised on Brazilians’ deep anger with their traditional political class and ‘‘throw the bums out’’ rage after a massive corruption investigation revealed staggering levels of graft. –AP

‘‘I voted against thievery and corruption. I know that everyone promises to end these two things, but I feel Bolsonaro is the only one can help end my anxieties.’’ Mariana Prado, a 54-yearold human resources expert