Brazil’s election is crucial for democracy and how it tackles its challenges: Analysis

Almost 159 million voters can cast ballots in Brazil’s presidential runoff on Sunday. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term and is running against Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, a right-wing candidate and the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The vote could shift Brazil’s global alliances. Lula has strengthened ties with China and the Global South, while Bolsonaro has signalled closer alignment with the United States. Paulo Sotero, a distinguished fellow and former director of the Brazil Institute at the Wilson Centre, says democracy is at stake. He describes Lula as an experienced politician from the left and the union movement, who ran in many elections, served three terms as president, and never did anything to undermine democracy. Sotero calls Flávio Bolsonaro “a mystery”, a senator who has never presented a single bill and is a very inactive politician. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://x.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #AlJazeeraEnglish #Brazil #Lula #FlavioBolsonaro #BrazilElection #News