The reports about Luiz Inácio 'Lula' da Silva's impending comeback as Brazilian president verged on the ecstatic in the week before the vote on Oct 2. He was after all, fourteen points ahead of his populist rival, incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro, in the last opinion poll before the vote.
"Lula on track for stunning political comeback," said one paper. "Olé, olé, olé! Lula voters sing for a heroic comeback to banish Bolsonaro," said another. Speculation was rife that Mr Lula would win more than 50% in the first round of voting, avoiding the need for a runoff vote between the two leading candidates on Oct 30.
But the polls were wrong. Mr Lula got a respectable 48% of the vote, but he was only five points ahead of Mr Bolsonaro at 43%, and in Brazilian politics the candidates in the lead often fall behind in the second round. The long anticipated global decline and fall of the hard-right populist movement has been at least postponed.
