Brazil Presidential Election: Lula Defeats Incumbent Bolsonaro

On October 30th, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil's presidential election. The election was very close, with Lula winning by only 1.8 percent of votes. Lula is a leftist politician who previously served as Brazil’s President from 2003-2010, leaving office with an 87 percent approval rating. Lula will fight for liberal values, but, like in the U.S., Brazil's economy is suffering from inflation. Before he can jump into his liberal agenda, Lula must rebuild a struggling country with many people in poverty and going hungry. As Lula pointed out during his campaign, Bolsonaro was pro-torture and pro-dictatorship. Lula’s goal is to return Brazil to a stable democracy. Along with his promises to enforce laws preventing deforestation, Lula also pledged to increase the minimum wage and social welfare, and support civil rights.

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