A president who tests the boundaries of democracy, making unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud. Frenetic supporters of said president who cause disruption as they try to affect the outcome of a fair election. A country that has become so polarized that family members and friends have severed ties over politics. Fake news and misinformation turning once reasonable people into rabid conspiracy theorists.
Sound familiar?
As the world’s fourth-largest democracy went to the polls Sunday, the mood was apprehensive. In the end, Brazil rejected far-right populist President Jair Bolsonaro, whose “Trump of the Tropics” nickname doesn’t fully describe his rejection of decency, science, facts and respect for democratic institutions, including the country’s highest court. In his place, Brazilians elected a septuagenarian — again, familiar? — former President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva.
