Posted Oct 2, 2022, 8:00 AM
One hundred and fifty-six million Brazilians are called to the polls this Sunday for the first round of the presidential election, at the end of a very tense electoral campaign. Former head of state Lula is the favorite against outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro, who is very unpopular. Voters must also choose their deputies, senators, governors, and representatives to the assembly of 26 states. Polls marked by several particular signs.
Voting of minors
Young people aged 16 and 17 have the right to vote. The number of registrants (2 million) has even increased by more than 50% since 2018. They tend to vote on the left.
· The elderly
The number of voters over 70 (15 million) has also increased by nearly 25% over the past four years. This is a traditionally conservative electorate.
Compulsory voting
The law imposes compulsory voting for voters between the ages of 18 and 69.
· Electronic voting
Brazil has adopted a system of electronic ballot boxes since 1996. Each candidate corresponds to a number. Examples: Lula 13, Bolsonaro 22. Each voter must type in the order the numbers corresponding to the candidate of their choice: federal deputy, representative of the local assembly (state deputy), senator, governor, then president of the Republic.
Pseudonyms
Candidates can choose any name. Forty-five of them are named after Bolsonaro (including his former wife), and 15 have chosen to be called Lula. One of the most famous deputies is the clown Tiririca.
Media tensions
Hoping to ride on Netflix’s success in Brazil, Bolsonaro’s campaign has created the “Lulaflix” site, on which attacks on the left-wing candidate are broadcast. By order of the electoral justice, access to the website has been suspended.
– During a televised debate, a political journalist was violently criticized by Jair Bolsonaro. During another debate, a supporter of the president again took the journalist to task by repeating the same sentence: “you are a shame for journalism! Journalist Vera Magalhães filed a complaint.
– A local television channel, RICtv, forbade its journalists to dress in red (the color of Lula’s supporters) during the election campaign. The message was sent by WhatsApp to the editorial staff. A presenter claims to have been dismissed for not having respected the instructions.
Star support: Neymar votes for Bolsonaro
Many personalities have displayed their preferences on social networks. Actors and singers, such as Caetano Veloso, recorded pro-Lula videos. Neymar has sided with President Bolsonaro.
