The first round of the Brazilian presidential election was held yesterday. The winner was Jair Bolsonaro who got over 45% of the vote. Because in Brazil the winner must get 50% to be elected, there will now be a runoff between the top two candidates on October 28.
The key thing I take away from the Brazilian race is that there has been a major shift in politics there. Bolsonaro supports free markets and promises to stamp out corruption. Two recent presidents ended up in prison on corruption charges, so the Brazilians have a big problem in that regard. The funny thing though is to read the coverage of the election in the mainstream media. Bolsonaro is almost always described as "far right". You know, far right as in akin to a Nazi or a Fascist. But that is a lie. There is no question that Bolsonaro is best described as a conservative in us terms, but he is far from "far right". The main opposition, however, consists of the Socialists. As a result, the mainstream media portrays them as within the usual parameters of Brazilian society with Bolsonaro being far right.
One more thing: Bolsonaro was attacked on the campaign trail, stabbed and nearly killed. His recovery has been swift and almost miraculous. He will likely win in three weeks.
The key thing I take away from the Brazilian race is that there has been a major shift in politics there. Bolsonaro supports free markets and promises to stamp out corruption. Two recent presidents ended up in prison on corruption charges, so the Brazilians have a big problem in that regard. The funny thing though is to read the coverage of the election in the mainstream media. Bolsonaro is almost always described as "far right". You know, far right as in akin to a Nazi or a Fascist. But that is a lie. There is no question that Bolsonaro is best described as a conservative in us terms, but he is far from "far right". The main opposition, however, consists of the Socialists. As a result, the mainstream media portrays them as within the usual parameters of Brazilian society with Bolsonaro being far right.
One more thing: Bolsonaro was attacked on the campaign trail, stabbed and nearly killed. His recovery has been swift and almost miraculous. He will likely win in three weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment