The wave of populism in continental Europe casts a shadow over populisms in other corners of the world. In our previous issues, we have covered the rising tide of Right in Asia; now is the time to focus on Brazil, the regional giant of Latin America.
Presidential elections in Brazil witnessed a fierce competition between the far-right, ex-army captain and Congressman Jair Bolsonaro (Social Liberal Party) and former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad (Worker’s Party). In the second round of voting, Bolsonaro received 55 percent of the votes, while Haddad’s votes remained at 45 percent. Since Brazil’s military dictatorship ended in 1985, presidents have mostly been from the centre-left. Unfortunately, they gradually became infamous for corruption and their inability to tackle with the dire socio-economic problems in the country. Thus, it was inevitable for candidates from such parties to be regarded with suspicion.
