According to the latest polls, Brazil’s ex-president Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva could emerge victorious in the first round of the elections this Sunday. Several opinion research institutes see the challenger to incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro clearly ahead with around 50 percent of the votes cast. Bolsonaro raised fears beforehand that he might not accept the results of the elections.
“I have to be optimistic now, I don’t have much left to do to get the necessary 50 percent plus one vote,” Lula told reporters on Saturday. The left-wing ex-president wants to return to power and is challenging the ultra-conservative incumbent. The fear of a return of hunger is one of the dominant issues in the vote. Rapidly rising living costs and the consequences of the corona pandemic are endangering the food supply to an extent that seemed unimaginable a decade ago.
Bolsonaro has launched a program to remedy the situation. Nevertheless, he is well behind his predecessor Lula in polls. Poorer families in particular recently spoke out in favor of Lula, who had declared war on extreme poverty and hunger during his presidency from 2003 to 2010.
Bolsonaro has questioned Brazil’s electronic voting system in the past, making unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the 2018 election. In doing so, Bolsonaro has fueled fears that he might not accept the election results. Brazil had invited a European Union observer team to attend the elections in May.