Updated Oct. 8.
The first round of Brazil’s presidential election took place Sunday, Oct. 4, and Brazilians voters on Martha’s Vineyard were able to cast their ballots in Framingham and Malden.
No one candidate received more than half the votes in the entire election, so the two candidates who had the most votes head to a runoff. Flávio Bolsonaro, senator for Rio de Janeiro and son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, received 47.03 percent of the votes, and current President Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva, often referred to as Lula and member of the left-leaning Partido dos Trabalhadores, received 45.16 percent of the votes.
The election remains closely watched by the community of Brazilian immigrants on Martha’s Vineyard, and is seen by global political analysts as a titanic battle.
The narrow victory for Bolsonaro was a big win for the far right in Brazil, and indirectly, a win for his father, who remains jailed on a 27-year prison sentence for his role in an attempted coup after the 2022 election. Bolsonaro has openly styled himself after U.S President Donald Trump, and political analysts see his actions as taken from the same playbook.
Lula is an icon of the left in Brazil, and he too served time in prison on charges related to a corruption scandal during his first tenure as president, from 2003 to 2010. He was released from prison in 2019 after serving 18 months. He has consistently asserted that the charges against him were an attempt to criminalize the left wing in Brazil. The charges against him were annulled by Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court, and he won the presidency over the older Bolsonaro in 2022.
The election in Brazil, the largest, richest, and most biodiverse nation in Latin America, is in many ways a referendum on climate change. Analysts see a stark difference between the two candidates on the issue, as Bolsonaro inherits the political dynasty of his father, which increased deforestation in the Amazon, while Lula leads an effort to reduce deforestation and make Brazil a leader in global efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.
The second round will take place on Oct. 25. Brazilians who live in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont heavily favored Bolsonaro over Lula. Bolsonaro received 11,228 votes (67.77 percent), and Lula received 3,919 votes (24.35 percent). Other candidates received 370 votes or less.
The jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Brazil in Boston had expected approximately 54,000 registered voters, but closer to 16,000 votes were cast.
All literate Brazilian citizens living abroad who are over 18 are required to vote in the presidential election, which also includes the vice president as a joint ticket, according to Brazil’s electoral authorities. Voting is optional for those between the ages of 16 and 18, as well as those over 70 years old. Voters who are unable to vote can justify their absence through Brazil’s electoral system. Failing to fulfill or justify an electoral obligation can result in penalties in Brazil.
Editor’s note: Updated to correctly spell Partido dos Trabalhadores.
