Brazil becomes next test for Latin Americas surging conservative movement

Brazil's estimated 158 million voters could advance Latin America's conservative wave in Sunday's election as the continent's most populous nation could elect conservative Sen.Flavio Bolsonaro as its next president.The first round election three weeks ago saw a strong performance by Bolsonaro, proving the polls wrong.

While incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Lula) had been predicted to take the first round by single digits, Bolsonaro ended up winning 47% to Lula's 45%.As neither candidate won a majority, the election went to a second round.Brazil's election follows a long string of victories for the Latin American right across Central and South America that started with the election of Libertarian outsider Javier Milei in Argentina in 2023.Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, left, and Sen.

Flávio Bolsonaro, right, face off in a presidential election runoff.(Getty Images)BOLSONARO WINS FIRST ROUND OF BRAZILIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, AS TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATES CONTINUE RED WAVE2025 saw a right-wing sweep across the region, as Ecuador, Bolivia, Honduras and Chile all voted for conservative heads of state.In 2026, Keiko Fujimori narrowly defeated a left-wing candidate to win the Peruvian presidency, while most recently, in Colombia, conservative attorney Abelardo de la Espriella bested left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda.Bolsonaro's slate of congressional candidates also fared well, ensuring that Brazil will have one of the most conservative congresses in years, and a legislative branch aligned with Bolsonaro's goals, or ready to thwart Lula's agenda.The two candidates met Friday night for the final debate in Rio de Janeiro, which featured a series of questions organized around Brazil's five geographic regions.

While the debate featured some heated personal exchanges, it appears unlikely to have moved the needle in either direction heading into a close race.Colombian President Abelardo De la Espriella holds a press conference with the mayor of Bogo...