AN OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE ON THE ELECTIONS AND BRAZILIANS’ VOTES

This past weekend’s Brazilian elections were closely watched around the world. They made headlines and sparked commentary. The American press framed the election as part of a broader effort to expand U.S. influence on the continent. The influential Le Monde states that Lula’s loss of votes is due to his wear and tear from governing. The Chinese press, including that of Hong Kong, speaks extensively about Brazil’s repositioning in relation to the United States and also to China. In general terms, there is surprise at the advance not only of Flávio Bolsonaro but, in particular, at the right’s takeover of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. An extraordinary advance by the right. 

The ambassadors of the European Union member states jointly observed the elections in Brasília, but no European country issued any comment. The one who spoke loudly of his satisfaction that Flávio Bolsonaro was in the lead was Argentina’s Millei. The Colombian president was also emphatic and expressed satisfaction, just like Millei. Trump didn’t make many comments, but he did make one worth noting: regarding the speed of the vote count.

In fact, he wasn’t the only one. Speaking with the prime minister of a European country, he also expressed disbelief that the results were already in just four hours after the polls closed. In this specific regard—the calm and order during the elections, the integrity and confidence in the results, and the functioning of the system—the country put on a spectacular show worthy of our national soccer team in the 1970s. Furthermore, as many newspapers have pointed out, there was none of the confusion and controversy surrounding the electronic voting system that marked recent elections.

On the periphery of this geopolitical portrait of the Brazilian elections—though by no means marginal—are the votes cast by Brazilians abroad. Of the four million Brazilians living outside the country, 918,000 are registered voters, living in 134 countries. Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty), electronic voting machines were set up in 186 cities. If the world admires the organization of elections within Brazil—including in indigenous villages—it is admirable to see how this is carried out around the world, taking all local differences into account. In the U.S., fears that the dreaded immigration police (ICE) would be waiting for Brazilians to question their documentation and arrest them did not materialize. There were no incidents, and that was no accident. The U.S. government wants Brazilians to vote there, and as a result, Flavio Bolsonaro received 61% of the votes. In Japan, he received 72%. But in Portugal, Lula received 52%. Lula also won in Palestine but lost in Israel. As things stand today, overseas votes do not alter the final result. However, depending on how the runoff election unfolds, every vote counts.

Financial markets—a reliable indicator of who calls the shots on the planet—reacted worldwide with incredible joy and confidence that if the first-round result holds in the runoff, the gains will be astronomical.