Return of the Bolsonaros: Why the far-right surge in Brazilian elections?

Home Shows The Debate To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party (PL) reacts after the country's electoral authority said he will face President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the runoff of a presidential election, in Brasilia, Brazil October 4, 2026 © Adriano Machado / Reuters 43:06 Issued on: 05/10/2026 - 20:44 From the show Do voters care about attempted coups? Brazil's Flavio Bolsonaro on the cusp of unseating Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the October 25th presidential runoff, Bolsonaro whose father was jailed over the Brazilian version of the January 6th storming of the US Capitol. Up and down the ballot, there are other Bolsonaros elected in the first round as the far-right surges. Is it about incumbent fatigue? Do Brazilians subscribe to Bolsonaro’s "God, Homeland, Family" mantra? And what will it take for the 80-year old Lula to convince enough of the 21-percent of voters who stayed home last Sunday to come out for the second round? We’ll ask how Brazil’s doing on the economy, crime and rule of law. A democracy was built in the wake of a military dictatorship included safeguards intended to force compromise and prevent a return to strongman rule. Is that still what Brazilians want? What does it say when the region's powerhouse is poised to become the seventh nation in the Americas to veer to the right since the return to power last year of Donald Trump? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Lucy Davalou, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente. Video by: