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1 1 (September 29, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/goveiyc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional ____ ~ Research Service Brazil's October 2022 Presidential Election Updated September 29, 2022 Brazil, the world's sixth-most populous country and 12th-largest economy, is to hold presidential, legislative, and state elections on October 2, 2022. In the lead-up to the vote, some Members of Congress have expressed concerns that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro may be attempting to undermine the legitimacy of the elections and have introduced legislative measures to support Brazilian democracy. In addition to considering potential legislation, Congress may monitor the Biden Administration's approach to the elections and assess the potential implications of the elections for U.S-Brazilian relations. Domestic Context and Campaign Bolsonaro, a former right-wing legislator and retired army captain, was elected in 2018 in the aftermath of a deep recession and corruption scandals that discredited much of Brazil's political leadership. Since taking office in January 2019, Bolsonaro has governed in a populist manner, using social media to communicate directly with supporters; take polarizing stands on cultural issues; and criticize perceived enemies, such as the press, civil society organizations, and other branches of government. This approach has kept his base politically engaged but has alienated potential allies within the conservative-leaning congress and placed additional stress on Brazil's already strained democratic institutions. It also appears to have hindered Brazil's ability to implement a coordinated response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has killed more than 685,000 Brazilians. In an attempt to expand his support base prior to the election, Bolsonaro joined the center-right Liberal Party and forged a coalition with two other large, patronage-based parties. Working with the Brazilian congress, he also increased cash transfers to low-income households, reduced fuel taxes, and implemented other measures intended to help Brazilians contend with high inflation. Bolsonaro's approval rating has improved over the past year; as of September 21, 2022, 34% of Brazilians rated his performance in office good or great, 20% rated it regular, and 44% rated it bad or terrible, according to an average of recent polls. The political opposition, which was fragmented for much of Bolsonaro's term, has coalesced behind former president Luiz Inicio Lula da Silva (Lula, 2003-2010) of the center-left Workers' Party. The presidential campaign represents a political comeback for Lula, who was convicted on corruption charges in 2017 and imprisoned for nearly two years. He was cleared to run for office again in 2021, after the Brazilian supreme court annulled those convictions and ruled that the judge presiding over the case for which Lula had been imprisoned acted with bias. Lula has campaigned on his economic record, Congressional Research Service https://crsreports. congress.gov IN12022 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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