Bolsonaro’s Economics Minister Paulo Guedes initially described the project as a “kamikaze”, but Congress approved the measure on Thursday evening (local time). This is made possible by declaring a state of emergency.
This gave President Jair Bolsonaro’s government permission to spend the equivalent of around 7.5 billion euros by the end of the year – for example to increase social benefits. In Brazil, too, people are currently confronted with high inflation and rising energy prices.
Lula v Bolsonaro
Opposition MPs also voted in favor of the decision. Her reasoning was that it was necessary to support the poorest part of the population in the country with more than 210 million inhabitants. During his tenure from 2003 to 2010, Lula also managed to lift millions of people out of abject poverty with social programs.
Officially, the election campaign in the largest country in Latin America does not begin until August 16th. As a candidate for his left-wing Workers’ Party (PT), Lula is well ahead of right-wing populist incumbent Bolsonaro in the polls in October.
From corruption to candidacy
In early July, Lula said in an interview: “In 2026, when I step down, it will be a new Brazil. Happier, richer and with a fed people.” In the event of an election victory, the former union official announced that jobs would be created, workers’ rights strengthened and the minimum wage raised. According to Lula, Bolsonaro missed his chance.
While Brazil’s economy was booming during his tenure, corruption in the region’s largest economy also flourished under his presidency.
In 2018, Lula herself was sentenced to a lengthy prison sentence for corruption and money laundering. Last year, a Supreme Court judge reversed the ruling and Lula regained his political rights. He was met with international criticism in early May when he accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of being “just as” responsible for the war as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Election commission chief fears unrest
Meanwhile, critics have accused Bolsonaro of fueling polarization in Brazil with inflammatory statements and false claims in the style of former US President Donald Trump.
Edson Fachin, head of the election commission, warned in advance of serious riots. “We could see an even more serious incident than the storming of the Capitol on January 6,” Fachin said.
A Lula PT official was shot dead last weekend. The shooter is believed to be a supporter of Bolsonaro. However, the police see no political motive behind the crime: “It is difficult to say that it is a hate crime that he killed because the victim was a PT supporter,” said Commissioner Camila Cecconello in a press conference on Friday. The shots were fired after a dispute escalated, and the attacker felt offended, according to the police officer.
Bolsonaro fuels doubts about electoral system
Earlier this year, a commission made up of representatives from various public institutions and the military was set up to ensure the security of the electoral process. Military leaders have said they will respect any election result.
Still, some military officials share right-wing populist President Jair Bolsonaro’s views on potential weaknesses in the electronic voting system. However, the system passed a test in mid-May without any problems.
Bolsonaro has questioned Brazil’s electronic voting system in the past, but failed to reform it. He also made unsubstantiated allegations of fraud in the 2018 election. Brazil invited observers from the European Union to attend the elections in May.
Highest level of deforestation in the rainforest
During his tenure, Bolsonaro also angered environmentalists. For example, Niklas Franzen writes in his recently published work Brazil about everything. Bolsonaro and the right-wing revolt”: “The great invasion of Amazonia has long since begun: excavators are rolling through the forest, gold prospectors are penetrating deep into indigenous areas, the owners of cattle farms are robbing land. This also has to do with President Bolsonaro. The far-right proclaimed that ‘not another inch’ would be designated for indigenous areas and is now urging Brazilians to illegally appropriate land.”
Current data from the Brazilian agency INPE show that deforestation in the Amazon rainforest reached a new high in the first six months of the year – after all, an area five times the size of New York City was destroyed. In addition, according to the data, June saw the highest number of fires in the Amazon region in 15 years. Bolsonaro’s office, on the other hand, said the government had been “extremely vigorous” in fighting environmental crimes.
Climate as a crucial campaign issue?
Environmentalists are now pinning their hopes on Lula. Under his presidency there was a decline in deforestation. Nevertheless, Lula misjudged the need for an energy transition, as the New York Times (“NYT”) writes.
According to “NYT”, views on the environment and climate are not only a central issue in the election campaign, but could even be decisive for the election. According to a September poll, 80 percent of voters believe that protecting the Amazon rainforest should be a priority for presidential candidates. According to NYT, one thing is clear: “Brazilian climate policy is in transition. This is important for the whole planet.”