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2 mins ago
ANALYSIS: a victory for Lula da Silva would mark the return of the last referent of "Socialism of the 21st century": what has changed since 2003?
By German Padinger
At the beginning of the 2000s, a large part of the countries of Latin America were governed by left or center-left parties, and a group of presidents grouped in "Socialism of the 21st century", including Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, maintained good relations between Yes, based on a common agenda.
In 2005 the late president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, first promoted the ideas of this "Socialism of the 21st century" during the World Social Forum in Caracas, and the term, difficult to define, came to be used as an informal category. in which these governments were grouped.
In addition to Chávez in Venezuela, other leaders associated with this "21st Century Socialism" were Rafael Correa in Ecuador, Néstor Kirchner (who died in 2010) and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in Argentina, Evo Morales in Bolivia, Fernando Lugo in Paraguay, Fidel and then Raúl Castro in Cuba, and Lula da Silva in Brazil.
In almost all of these countries, except for Venezuela and Cuba, these governments were eventually succeeded by right-wing parties (such as Mauricio Macri in Argentina and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil), like a pendulum.
And in the last two years, especially after the covid-19 pandemic, once again left and center-left candidates, albeit with a very different style, began to win elections in the region: from Gustavo Petro in Colombia to Gabriel Boric in Chile, to Pedro Castillos in Peru and Xiomara Castro in Honduras.
(Argentina, with Alberto Fernández, and Mexico, with Andrés Manuel López Obrador, had advanced in 2019 and 2018).
Now, one of the last members of "Socialism of the 21st century" and a reference figure of progressivism in Latin America, is seeking to be president again: Lula da Silva, 76, will compete this Sunday in the elections in Brazil, in which he will face Bolsonaro, and he leads in the polls.
A victory for Lula would mean the return of the last "Socialist of the 21st century" that is still active (along with Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who is the current Vice President of Argentina in a coalition government), but this would take place in a very different from 2003, when the leader of the Workers' Party (PT) acceded to the presidency of Brazil for the first time.
In addition, Lula's legacy and, ultimately, the ideas of that progressive movement at the beginning of the century are not necessarily in tune with those of the new wave of young left and center-left presidents in the region.
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16 mins ago
Polls close in Brazil
Credit: CAIO GUATELLI/AFP via Getty Images
The polls closed throughout the territory at 5:00 pm (Brasilia time), according to the Superior Electoral Court.
46 mins ago
Jair Bolsonaro's life in key data
The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, will bet on his re-election in the elections this Sunday.
Here, a life review and the most important data of his political career:
Personal information
Date of birth:
May 21, 1955
Place of birth:
Campinas, Brazil
Birth name:
Jair Messias Bolsonaro
Father:
Percy Geraldo Bolsonaro, dentist
Mother:
Olinda Bonturi Bolsonaro
Marriages:
Michelle Bolsonaro;
Ana Cristina Valle (divorced);
Rogeria Bolsonaro (divorced)
Children:
with Michelle Bolsonaro: Laura;
with Ana Cristina Valle: Jair Renan;
with Rogéria Bolsonaro: Flavio, Carlos and Eduardo
Education:
Agulhas Negras Military Academy
Armed Forces:
Army, Captain
Religion:
Roman Apostolic Catholic
Other data
Jair Bolsonaro, a conservative-leaning provocateur, is notable for rhetoric that commonly targets women and the LGBTQ community.
In 2003, he told a congresswoman that she did not deserve to be raped.
During a 2011 interview with Playboy magazine, Bolsonaro said that he would be unable to love a gay son.
He has expressed a feeling of nostalgia for Brazil's past as a military dictatorship.
Before becoming president, Bolsonaro completed seven terms as a legislator in the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies.
While in Congress, his priorities included protecting the rights of citizens to bear firearms, promoting Christian values ​​and being tough on crime.
In 2017, he said: "A policeman who does not kill is not a policeman."
Bolsonaro changed his party affiliation numerous times, eventually campaigning for president as a member of the Social Liberal Party.
He was elected president in 2018 after defeating Fernando Haddad, then the candidate of the Workers' Party, in the second round.
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49 mins ago
The life of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in key facts
The Brazilian presidential candidate in the November 1989 elections. Credit: STR/AFP via Getty Images
This is a glimpse into the life of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former president of Brazil and again a candidate in the upcoming elections on October 2.
Personal information
Date of birth:
October 27, 1945
Place of birth:
Garanhuns, Pernambuco, Brazil
Father:
Aristides Inácio da Silva, agricultural worker
Mother:
EurĂdice Ferreira de Mello, seamstress
Marriages:
Rosangela Silva (May 18, 2022-present);
Marisa Leticia Lula da Silva (1974-2017, until her death);
Maria de Lourdes Lula da Silva (1969-1971, until her death)
Children:
with Marisa Leticia Lula da Silva: Luis Claudio, Sandro, Fabio and Marcos (from his first marriage and adopted by Lula da Silva);
with Miriam Cordeiro: Lurian
Other data
He is known by the nickname "Lula", which he formally added to his name in 1982.
Lula da Silva's father was against education and believed that supporting the family was more important, so Lula da Silva did not learn to read until he was 10 years old.
He dropped out of school altogether after fifth grade to work full time.
He has nine fingers, since he lost the little finger on his left hand in an accident at work.
His first wife died of hepatitis in her eighth month of pregnancy, along with the child.
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1 hour ago
Neymar and other figures who support Jair Bolsonaro
By Raul Saenz
Rivaldo and Nené, also with Bolsonaro 0:52
2 hours ago
Why the future of the planet (also) is at stake in these elections
By Angela Reyes Haczek
Aerial view shows a deforested area of ​​the Amazon rainforest in Labrea, Amazonas state, Brazil, on Sept. 15, 2021. (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images)
Not only the people of Brazil are risking their future in the presidential elections.
The crisis that the Amazon is going through has already influenced the climate of Latin America and the Caribbean, where almost 660 million people live, and could have planetary impacts.
The decisions made by the next president are key to the fate of the world's largest rainforest... and ours.
Fires in the Amazon rainforest spiked this September, which has become the worst month in more than a decade, according to Reuters.
According to data from INPE, the national space research agency, this year there were nearly 37,000 fire alerts until September 26, which means an increase of 120% compared to the same month in 2021 and the worst result since 2010.
The destruction of this ecosystem—key to America's hydrological cycle and home to 25% of terrestrial biodiversity—usually increases in election years as a result of two actions: a decline in law enforcement and action by loggers, the large farmers and ranchers and the mining industry, who are rushing in fear that there may be changes in the conservation policies of the Amazon.
But this is not an isolated phenomenon.
In 2021, for example, deforestation doubled compared to the average for the 2009-2018 period, according to the World Meteorological Organization, and 22% more forest area was lost than the previous year.
And how the future president responds to this reality is key.
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2 hours ago
Brazil, the largest country in extension and with the most population in Latin America
Aerial view of people lining up to vote at the CIEP Ayrton Senna next to the Favela da Rocinha on October 2, 2022 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Credit: Wagner Meier/Getty Images
This is what you should know about Brazil, the largest and most populous country in Latin America, which stretches from the Amazon basin to the vineyards and IguazĂş falls in South America.
This country holds presidential elections on October 2.
This you should know about Brazil (With data from the CIA World Factbook)
Area:
8,515,770 km2.
It is the sixth largest territory in area after Russia, Antarctica, Canada, the United States and China.
Population:
217.2 million inhabitants estimated in 2022.
Borders:
Argentina 1,263 km;
Bolivia, 3,403 km;
Colombia 1,790 km;
French Guiana 649 km;
Guiana 1,308km;
Paraguay 1,371 km;
Peru 2,659 km;
Suriname 515km;
Uruguay 1,050 km;
Venezuela 2,137 km.
Mean age:
33.2 years.
Capital:
BrasĂlia.
Ethnic groups:
White (47.7%), mestizo (43.1%), black (7.6%), Asian (1.1%), indigenous (0.4%).
(estimated to 2010)
Languages: Portuguese is the official language and the most widely spoken in the country, however, Spanish is also spoken (in border areas and as a second language in schools), as well as German, Japanese, Italian and English.
Some indigenous languages ​​are also spoken.
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2 hours ago
Bolsonaro and Lula go for the presidency of Brazil
By Camilo Rocha, Kara Fox
While there are nearly a dozen candidates on the ballot, the race has been dominated by two favorites and polar opposites: right-wing incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro and left-wing former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, leader of the Workers' Party.
Bolsonaro, 67, is running for re-election under the conservative Liberal Party.
He has campaigned to increase mining, privatize public companies and generate more sustainable energy to reduce energy prices.
He has promised to continue paying a monthly benefit of R$600 (approximately US$110) known as Auxilio Brasil.
Often called the "Trump of the tropics," Bolsonaro, who has the support of important evangelical leaders, is a highly polarizing figure.
His government is known for its support of the ruthless exploitation of the land in the Amazon, leading to record numbers of deforestation.
Environmentalists warn that the future of the rainforest could be at stake in this election.
Bolsonaro has also been widely criticized for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than 686,000 people in Brazil have died from the virus.
Lula, 76, who was president for two consecutive terms, from 2003 to 2011, has focused his campaign on removing Bolsonaro from office and has highlighted his past achievements throughout his campaign.
He left office with a 90% approval rating in 2011 and is largely credited with lifting millions of Brazilians out of extreme poverty through the “Bolsa Familia” welfare program.
His campaign has promised a new tax regime that will allow for more public spending.
He has promised to end hunger in the country, which has returned under the Bolsonaro government.
Lula also promises to work to reduce carbon emissions and deforestation in the Amazon.
Lula, however, is also no stranger to controversy.
He was convicted of corruption and money laundering in 2017, on charges stemming from the extensive “Operation Lava Jato” investigation into the state-owned oil company Petrobras.
But after serving less than two years, a Supreme Court judge overturned Lula's conviction in March 2021, paving the way for him to run for president for the sixth time.