Last Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys lost to Baltimore in Rio. The game was settled by a field goal with one second on the clock.
Next Sunday, a presidential vote in Brazil may come down to the last second, too. It will be close and controversial, as we are hearing from the Guardian:
Sunday’s election in Brazil could hardly be a clearer-cut choice — nor a closer call. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, is neck and neck in the polls with Flávio Bolsonaro, the son and champion of the jailed far-right former president Jair. Mr Bolsonaro senior is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup to “annihilate” democracy after losing the last election.
Brazil is Latin America’s largest democracy, but military dictatorship is in its recent past. Mr Bolsonaro wants to free his father and those who rioted in his support in 2023. The senator has campaigned as a less crass and temperamental version of his father, but he is no less extreme. For many on both sides, this is a vote against a man they detest more than an endorsement of their own candidate. Most voters disapprove of both men.
Who will win? I don’t know. My hope is that Mr. Bolsonaro wins, but our southern neighbor is polarized as never before. In many ways, their politics is like ours, with families arguing about the candidates and young women making dating selections based on where you stand on the election. As a Brazilian said on a recent TV interview, we argue about politics these days like we used to fight over “futbol.”
Beyond Brazilian politics, a Bolsonaro victory would confirm the Latin American movement toward center-right leaders. In other words, a Bolsonaro presidency would align much closer to Trump-Rubio policies in fighting cartels and promoting free-market economies. It won’t end the infighting in Brazil, but the White House is cheering for Bolsonaro rather than Lula.
So get ready for an exciting finish down in the land of “futbol” and pretty ladies walking on the beach.