A Heated Presidential Election Puts Brazil’s Future As A Democracy In Question

SAO PAULO — Hundreds of Brazilians packed into the Teatro Tuca, a theater at the center of the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, on Monday night to see Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva kick off the final week of a heated and tumultuous presidential campaign. An even larger crowd gathered outside, beneath a message projected onto the theater’s stone facade.

Brasil Pela Democracia, it said. Brazil For Democracy.

Brazilians will go to the polls Sunday to choose between da Silva, a leftist who led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, and President Jair Bolsonaro, a member of the fraternity of right-wing leaders that has put democracies across the world at risk.

Da Silva appeared headed for an easy victory just weeks ago. But Bolsonaro’s surprisingly strong performance in the first round of voting on Oct. 2 put him within shouting distance, and he has spent the last three weeks unleashing an unprecedented wave of social spending and a relentless barrage of fake news — he and his supporters have accused da Silva of worshiping Satan, wanting to close churches, and seeking a full Communist takeover of Brazil — in an effort to close the gap.

Polling averages suggest that da Silva is still in the lead. Bolsonaro has stagnated since Saturday, when a prominent ally and former congressman fired at least 20 rifle shots and threw two grenades at police who were attempting to arrest him at his home, part of a dispute with the Supreme Court that Bolsonaro, who has fought with the court throughout his presidency, struggled to fully denounce. The president then renewed his attacks on Brazil’s top electoral court on Wednesday, saying that its refusal to launch an investigation he wanted could force him to resort to “the ultimate consequences” in response.

A late-night meeting with his cabinet, including leaders of all three military branches, renewed fears about what Bolsonaro, who has spent two years spreading conspiracy theories that suggest he will not accept defeat under any circumstances, will do if he loses.

As the race draws to a close, however, concerns that polls might be once again underestimating Bolsonaro’s support linger. The potential that large numbers of voters could sit out the election has left many da Silva supporters gripped by anxiety that Bolsonaro could still prevail legitimately.

A Bolsonaro victory would have massive implications: It would provide a jolt to right-wing politicians across Latin America, where some have already begun to mold…