Democracy on the razor's edge: the 2022 presidential elections in Brazil

In: PRIF Spotlight / Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, Leibniz-Institut Hessische Stiftung Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, 2022/9

Abstract

Brazil's presidential elections are scheduled to take place on October 2, 2022. The confrontation between the extreme-right incumbent president Bolsonaro and the center-left former president Lula Da Silva provides a rare setting. The election places Brazil at a crossroads and will set the stage for either a comprehensive commitment to democracy under Lula or a continuation along the path to authoritarianism under Bolsonaro. Recent polls suggest that the most likely scenario is a win for Lula. Nevertheless, Brazil's democratic institutions are continuously under attack. Currently, the possibility of the elections being preemptively cancelled or the final results being contested cannot be fully dismissed.