Brazil Faces its “Most Important Election in its History”

BRAZIL ELECTIONS HADDAD
A supporter of Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and presidential candidate for the Workers Party, Fernando Haddad, wears a sticker of the two men on her forehead during a campaign event in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. Haddad was hand-picked by Brazil's jailed, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to be their party's candidate in the Oct. 7 general elections. Leo Correa / AP Photo
BRAZIL ELECTIONS HADDAD
A supporter of Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and presidential candidate for the Workers Party, Fernando Haddad, wears a sticker of the two men on her forehead during a campaign event in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. Haddad was hand-picked by Brazil's jailed, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to be their party's candidate in the Oct. 7 general elections. Leo Correa / AP Photo

Brazil Faces its “Most Important Election in its History”

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

Brazil, Latin America’s largest democracy, will vote on Sunday to choose a new president, numerous state governors, along with nearly 1,600 other lawmakers. Because the country is struggling to rebound from numerous political corruption scandals and a deep economic recession, many observers believe this will be Brazil’s most important election in its history. The lead candidate to be Brazil’s next president is former paratrooper, Jair Bolsonaro. Trailing him by double-digits is former São Paulo mayor, Fernando Haddad, the Workers’ Party choice to replace jailed former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. We’ll preview the election’s first round with Kevin Coogan, founder of ZettaCap, a company that analyzes social media and online data to make forecasts on economic, financial, and political events.