Andrea Innocenti Last Wednesday, thousands of students filled the streets of downtown Rio de Janeiro, holding signs against Flavio Bolsonaro and his proposal to shift the country toward a more radical right. The demonstration, organized by numerous university associations, culminated with slogans such as " Never again Bolsonaro " and " No to the father, no to the son ," which echoed throughout the city.
The reasons for the student protests
The protests were not only a reaction to the first round of elections, but also a personal warning. Alice Carneiro, a shipping company manager, said she took part in the march to defend democracy and protect her transgender partner from potential retaliation from a far-right government.
Other young people, like Emmanuel Araujo, an aspiring university student, have expressed grief over the “rise of Bolsonarism” and the need to choose between a questionable candidate and one who could limit freedom of expression.
The Legacy of Jair Bolsonaro
Flavio's father, Jair Bolsonaro, governed from 2019 to 2023, promoting nostalgia for the military dictatorship and spreading unfounded claims about the electoral system.
A court ruling barred him from public office for eight years, but his following remains active: supporters attacked government buildings soon after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office, hoping to trigger a coup. This political legacy fuels the fears expressed by protesters, who fear a rollback of civil rights.
The electoral landscape: first rounds and polls
In the first round, Flavio Bolsonaro received 47% of the vote, surpassing incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , who received 45%. Since no candidate surpassed the 50% threshold, the Constitution mandates a runoff election on October 25. Datafolha polls, conducted between September 29 and October 1 among 2,506 respondents, show a technical margin of two percentage points between the two contenders: 48% for Lula versus 45% for his son Bolsonaro.
These data confirm the volatility of the Brazilian political scene. A previous survey by the same agency showed Lula at 42% and Bolsonaro at 38% in the hypothetical first round, while other figures like Augusto Cury (4%) and Ronaldo Caiado (3%) remained on the sidelines. The race to the second round is therefore being defined as a "race of resistance" between two worlds: the center-left, with its legacy of fighting for rights, and the right, led by a legacy of the authoritarian past.
The implications for Brazilian democracy
The runoff election represents more than a simple contest between two candidates; it is a test of strength for the country's democratic stability . If Flavio Bolsonaro wins, his proposal to grant amnesty to his father and his rhetoric of "change" could reshape institutions, risking a return to authoritarian practices. Conversely, a Lula victory would strengthen social inclusion policies and minority rights, but will require careful management of pre-existing tensions with Bolsonaro's forces.
Meanwhile, the streets of Rio remain the scene of an active citizenry, ready to defend their values and influence the outcome of an election that could define Brazil's future for the next eight years.