Will Bolsonaro Leave If He Loses the Presidency?
Brazil’s leader said last month he would respect any election outcome come October, if voting is clean. That still leaves plenty of risk.
Brazilian democracy in the crosshairs.
Photographer: Arthur Menescal/Bloomberg via Getty Images
For anyone wondering whether Jair Bolsonaro plans to retreat gracefully into the background if he loses Brazil’s presidential election, his latest overseas jaunt offers one answer. Even before Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, he found an opportunity to rouse flag-clad supporters from the London embassy balcony, with dog-whistle references to abortion and “gender ideology,” hints at his opponent’s supposed communist allegiances — and then a guarantee that he would inevitably win, outright, in the first round.
Facts? Who needs them.