Brazil heads into a tightly contested presidential election on Sunday, with the outcome seen as a test for a growing bloc of pro-Trump leaders across Latin America, the Guardian reports.
Key facts
- Brazil's presidential election takes place on Sunday, according to the Guardian.
- The race pits leftist incumbent Lula against the son of a former far-right president convicted of staging a coup, the Guardian reports.
- Donald Trump recently boasted that rightwing candidates had won all seven presidential elections held in the region since his second term began, according to the Guardian.
- Trump made the remarks to leaders of the Shield of the Americas, described as an anti-drug cartel coalition of 15 countries governed by the right or far right.
Brazil is set to hold a closely contested presidential election on Sunday, a vote the Guardian reports is being watched as a test for a growing bloc of pro-Trump leaders across Latin America. The race places leftist incumbent Lula against the son of a former far-right president who was convicted of staging a coup.
The outcome carries significance beyond Brazil’s borders. According to the Guardian, the election is seen as a gauge of the region’s recent rightward political momentum, with the result potentially reinforcing or disrupting that trend.
The context was underscored last month when, shortly after his controversial speech to the United Nations general assembly in September, US President Donald Trump gathered a dozen like-minded Latin American leaders in New York. There, the Guardian reports, Trump boasted that rightwing candidates had won all seven presidential elections held in the region since he began his second term.
“Everybody I’ve endorsed has won,” Trump said, according to the Guardian. He made the remarks to most of the leaders of the Shield of the Americas, described as an anti-drug cartel coalition of 15 countries governed by the right or far right.
The Brazilian contest therefore represents a potential break point for that streak, with a leftist incumbent seeking to hold power against a challenger tied by family to a figure convicted over an attempted coup.
Why it matters
The result could either extend or interrupt a recent wave of rightwing victories across Latin America, the Guardian reports, and may signal how far US President Donald Trump's endorsements reach in the region's politics.
Frequently asked questions
When is Brazil's presidential election?
According to the Guardian, Brazil's presidential election takes place on Sunday.
Who are the main candidates?
The Guardian reports the race pits leftist incumbent Lula against the son of a former far-right president who was convicted of staging a coup.
What is the Shield of the Americas?
The Guardian describes it as an anti-drug cartel coalition of 15 countries governed by the right or far right, whose leaders Trump gathered in New York after his UN speech.