Socialist Left Movement/PSOL - The left candidate Lula da Silva won the first round with 48.4% of the vote (57,259,504 votes) against 43.2% for his right-wing opponent Jair Bolsonaro (51,072,345 votes): an advantage of about 6 million votes. However, what marked the result - contrary to the expectation created by all the opinion polls - was that Bolsonaro did much better than predicted.
Linda Brasil (L) and Erika Hilton. (Supplied/Rafael Canoba)
Brazil held its local elections 15 November, 2020 and thousands of city councillors were elected throughout the country.
In the midst of a pandemic and with an openly anti-LGBT+ far-right federal government, the results indicated a growing presence of LGBT+ activists from the most diverse political parties and spectres.
While candidates supported by president Jair Bolsonaro suffered devastating defeats and the number of elected officials who used religious titles – such as a pastor, missionary and the like – and who are commonly at the forefront of homophobic preaching, tumbled.
This year, the LGBT+ community elected 48 city councillors and received more than 450,000 votes – and transgender candidates deserve special mention in the country that kills the most trans people in the world.