HOW TO THINK ABOUT IT

“An order from God.” The suspected attacker, Adelio Bispo de Oliveira, claims he was “fulfilling an order from God” when he stabbed Bolsonaro. He may be painted as unstable, but the incident occurred amid notable political violence — left-wing councilor Marielle Franco was assassinated earlier this year, and Silva’s campaign bus was targeted by gunfire in March. Violent rhetoric also has been expressed by Bolsonaro, who declared at one recent campaign rally that after his election his supporters would “kill them all,” in reference to left-wing Workers’ Party supporters and leftists in general.

“Trump of the Tropics.” Bolsonaro is a firebrand politician often compared to U.S. President Donald Trump. Bolsonaro’s tough stance on crime, his proposal to lift the nation’s ban on firearms and his anti-abortion stance have struck a chord with the country’s conservative and evangelical Christian voters. Meanwhile, those on the left decry his messaging, which they say includes misogynistic and racist sentiments, and his apparent admiration for the nation’s pre-1985 military dictatorship.

Persistently popular. Despite being in prison and barred from running, Silva often managed to lead in polls before he dropped out of the race. The former head of a metalworkers union, Silva founded the left-wing Workers’ Party in 1980. The first major Socialist Party in Brazil’s history brought together blue-collar trade unionists and leftist intellectuals — and during Silva’s two-term presidency from 2003 to 2011, with help from a commodities boom, fought economic and racial inequality. In 2017, Silva was convicted of corruption for accepting a beachfront apartment from a construction firm in return for public contracts — a conviction he says was politically motivated.

Pinch runner. The relatively unknown Haddad is hoping Silva’s remaining popularity is transferable. So does the Workers’ Party, which has even adopted the slogan: “Haddad is Lula.” The São Paulo native and son of a Lebanese shopkeeper is a trained lawyer and economist. He served as the minister of education under Silva before becoming his vice presidential running mate. Like Silva, he faces his own legal troubles: He is accused of involvement in bribery from another construction company.

WHAT TO READ

The Brazilian Spring That Never Arrived, by Vincent Bevins in The Atlantic
"When Brazilians of all stripes took to the streets five years ago, the whole country seemed united in its demand for more from their government. Instead, they wound up with much less."

Brazil’s Disastrous 2018 Presidential Race Teaches Key Lesson For All, by Glenn Greenwald and Victor Pougy in The Intercept
"What the Brazilian media is now doing is so extremely corrupt and so transparently deceitful that – no matter how low your standards are for judging them – no words suffice to express the revulsion that it merits."

WHAT TO WATCH