Page 12 - AT

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 8 october 2018

Brazilian voters hope for fresh start, fear worst to come

By SARAH DiLORENZO of a return to traditional val-
MAURICIO SAVARESE ues and safer, simpler times.
PETER PRENGAMAN In one of his last appeals to
Associated Press voters before Sunday’s vot-
SAO PAULO (AP) — With ing, Bolsonaro tweeted that
some voters hoping for he would “defend the fam-
a fresh start and others ily and the innocence of
fearing the worst is yet to children, treat criminals as
come, Brazilians cast bal- such and not get involved
lots on Sunday in a divisive in corruption schemes.”
election that comes on The Workers’ Party, mean-
the heels of major political while, pushed the narra-
scandals and economic tive that a vote for Haddad
demise. would be a vote to bring
As Brazilians lined up in poll- back the boom years that
ing places, polls showed Brazil experienced under
an increasingly tight race the leadership of da Silva,
between a far-right con- his mentor. On the eve
gressman who waxes nos- of the election, da Silva
talgically about the dicta- tweeted: “Reach back
torship and a leftist stand-in into your memory, remem-
for jailed ex-President Luiz ber what my eight years of
Inacio da Silva, who was government were like.”
barred from running. People wait in line to vote in the general election at a polling station in the Mare Complex slum in Bolsonaro garnered 36
The starkly competing vi- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. percent in the latest Data-
sions have alienated as Associated Press folha poll, with Haddad 14
many people as they have have alienated as many country has to offer,” said ple have) to have a result points behind. The poll in-
attracted, bringing to the as they have attracted. His Vito, who voted for the today. But it will be better terviewed 19,552 people
surface deep divisions campaign has included party’s standard bearer, for Brazil to compare” what Friday and Saturday and
along the lines of class, nostalgia for a military dic- former Sao Paulo mayor the leading candidates has a margin of error of 2
race, sexual orientation tatorship, insults to women Fernando Haddad. want to do, Haddad said. percentage points.
and “traditional values.” and gay people and calls Haddad, appointed by Meanwhile, Bolsonaro vot- Bolsonaro’s poll numbers
A year ago, many believed to fight crime by loosening da Silva after the former ed in Rio de Janeiro, which have increased by about
that “throw-the-bums- controls on already deadly president’s candidacy was he has represented in Con- 15 percent since he was
out” rage would buoy the police forces. barred last month, is sec- gress for 27 years. Bolsonaro stabbed Sept. 6. He was
chances of an outsider “The Workers’ Party is the ond in the polls. predicted he would get unable to campaign as he
and end the hegemony party of corruption,” Ser- After voting in Sao Paulo, more than 50 percent of underwent multiple surger-
of the center-left Workers’ gio Cervone, a 54-year- Haddad spoke briefly with the vote, enough to avoid ies, but he was able to skip
Party and the center-right old doctor in Sao Paulo reporters. However, his a second round runoff on debates during his three
Brazilian Social Democracy who voted for Bolsonaro. voice was drowned out as Oct. 28. “The people real- week stay in the hospital
Party, which have for years “Despite all his years in detractors banged pots in ize that Brazil can’t contin- and bring messages direct-
battled it out for the presi- Congress, (Bolsonaro) was nearby buildings and sup- ue the way of socialism. We ly to voters via Facebook
dency. never involved in any cor- porters chanted that he don’t want to be tomorrow and Twitter.
Like much in this election, ruption crimes.” would be president, a vivid what Venezuela is today,” “For a front-runner, the best
it hasn’t turned out as pre- Enzo Vito, a 20-year-old display of a deeply polar- Bolsonaro said. thing to do is commit as
dicted. The man who has student voting in the same ized electorate. Though they come from few errors as possible,” said
benefited most from wide- place, had a different take: Haddad said that Brazil- opposite sides of the politi- Andre Portela from Getu-
spread anger in the elec- Brazil’s biggest problem is ians would see Bolsonaro’s cal spectrum, both Bolson- lio Vargas Foundation, a
torate is a 27-year veteran inequality, which the Work- weaknesses in coming aro and Haddad ran cam- leading university and think
of Congress — Jair Bolso- ers’ Party has worked to weeks. paigns based on nostalgia tank. “Getting stabbed
naro of the Social Liberal eradicate. “He struggles in debates. for a better time. Bolson- helped Bolsonaro in that.
Party — whose outsider “The Workers’ Party is the He doesn’t have a team, aro frequently evoked the He wasn’t exposed to de-
status is based largely on only party that wants to or any big projects. I under- country’s 1964-1985 military bate, to people question-
hard-right positions that make use of all that this stand a desire (many peo- dictatorship amid promises ing him.”q