28, October, 2022
As Brazil prepares to hold its general elections, tension rises between the leaders of the opposing parties
Front runner and former twice President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva, says he hopes political rival and incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro will graciously accept defeat, if that's what the voters decide in Sunday's runoff. Lula says his wish is that Jair will have what he calls: "A moment of sanity, phone me and accept the election result. if he loses and he wants to cry...remember I lost three elections, and each time I want home, rather than being agitated or cursing."
In round one at the beginning of the month, Lula got 48.4 percent of the vote, while Jair did appreciably better than expected with a stronger showing than the polls predicted, by gaining 43.4 percent. But neither reached or surpassed the fifty percent to win outright there and then. There are concerns that Jair Bolsonaro might claim electoral fraud if defeated. But experts insist, Brazil's tried and tested electronic voting system is both fair and effective.
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It'll be interesting to gauge the size of the turnout for this decider, which will determine more of the same with right wing Jair, or a third term for left wing Lula. Unsurprisingly, few are placing their faith in the polls. Voters themselves, are reserved and cagey when it comes to sharing intel about their button pushing.