Brazil is electing its president on Sunday and the stakes are high. The favorite is the right-wing nationalist Jair Bolsonaro, who has repeatedly attracted attention with sexist, racist and even anti-democratic statements. If Brazil elects him, the country will face difficult times.
The biggest mistake of the military dictatorship was that it tortured and did not kill.” This is just one of the many alarming statements made by Jair Bolsonaro. He could be elected president in Brazil on Sunday. He does not hold back with his sympathy for the 21-year military dictatorship that murdered and tortured until 1985. His candidate for vice-president even holds out the prospect of a new military coup “if the country needs it”.
However, the country must also prepare itself for a repressive policy with Bolsonaro in power. Much like his declared role model Donald Trump, Bolsonaro regularly makes disparaging remarks about women, people of Afro-Brazilian descent and homosexuals. Nevertheless, he appears to be an electable candidate for the Brazilian electorate. Since his closest rival Luiz Lula da Silva’s license was revoked, Bolsonaro has been at the top of the polls. However, many are voting in protest against the scandal-ridden Workers’ Party (PT).
Shortly before the election, Bolsonaro’s opponents mobilized once again. Last Saturday, several hundred thousand people demonstrated across the country under the banner of “not”. This refers to Bolsonaro. The resistance against him stems from a broad base of the population. Women in particular are driving the protests in various cities and calling for mass protests via the internet. Within a short space of time, the group “Women against Bolsonaro” had 3.4 million followers.
Pictures and videos on Facebook clearly show the extent of the discontent against Bolsonero. Young people and employees of our Brazilian partner organizations took part in these protests and mobilized numerous people in this commitment to democracy and human rights.”
