| On October 28 a second and final round vote will be held to elect the next president of Brazil given that the first round did not yield an outright winner. The two contenders are Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party (PSL) who received 46 per cent of the eligible votes cast in the first round and Fernando Haddad of the Workers' Party (PT) who received just over 29 per cent of the vote. The original PT candidate, former President Luis Inácio "Lula" da Silva was prohibited from running thanks to the Brazilian Judiciary's continuation of the constitutional coup against the polity which targets the PT. n this election, the financial oligarchy which staged the constitutional coup to remove the PT and change the direction of the economy has entrusted Bolsonaro, a former army captain, and his running mate, a retired general, to win the election so that they make sure the economy favours the financial oligarchy not the people. A lot is riding on the election results for the big domestic and foreign business interests who have already engaged in every kind of unscrupulous and criminal activity to remove the PT. The presidential candidate for the PT, Fernando Haddad, is a former PT Education Minister who also served a term as the mayor of São Paulo. His vice-presidential candidate Manuela D'Ávila is a former student leader who has been a legislator at both the federal and state levels for the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) for Rio Grande do Sul. Their program is aimed at ending the neo-liberal nation-wrecking imposed on Brazil by the financial oligarchy after President Dilma Rousseff was removed from office two years ago in the constitutional coup. As soon as it was known that Bolsonaro had been denied the first round victory he had hoped to achieve, the people's forces went into action to unite all those who could be united to stop the financial oligarchy and militarists from successfully carrying out an electoral coup in the second round. In the opinion of the PCdoB, the realization of a second round is itself a major achievement of the democratic, popular and progressive forces and a setback for Bolsonaro's candidacy. The PCdoB points out that Bolsonaro's candidacy was catapulted by the monopoly-owned media, large economic and financial groups and sections of the state apparatus. These forces unleashed a major operation, including illegal actions such as the whirlwind of fake news that was circulated on social media, to try to obtain a win in the first round. The work between now and October 28, the PCdoB points out, involves building a broad democratic front in support of a Haddad presidency. They are appealing to those whose candidates did not reach the second round, to voters who spoiled their ballots, left them blank or abstained from voting, and others who voted for Bolsonaro without understanding the interests he actually represents and will serve should he take over the presidency. Even though voting is mandatory for those eighteen years and older in Brazil, over 20 per cent of the more than 147 million registered voters did not show up to vote. More than 10 million cast blank or spoiled ballots. Former candidates and members of other parties, organizations and religious groups have come forward to throw their support behind the PT's candidacy and contribute to preventing a Bolsonaro presidency and what it would represent for Brazil. This week thousands marched in São Paulo and Porto Alegre demanding the preservation of democracy and declaring Dictatorship Never Again! Actions of different types are being held in the spirit of the massive Not Him marches organized by women all around Brazil and worldwide on September 29. University students in São Paulo, Brasilia, Porto Alegre and elsewhere are holding meetings and organizing to build an anti-fascist front around the "Brazil Happy Again" coalition for the second round vote. High school students in Belem, in the state of Pará, walked out of school in defence of democracy and the right to education. The situation in which Brazilians find themselves reveals the need for the political activists to mobilize the people on a massive scale to deprive the ruling elites of their ability to claim a mandate for the dictatorial rule they want to impose in the name of democracy. The power to control matters of importance that affect the lives of the people lies in the people's hands and they are striving to use it to deprive the ruling elites of their power to deprive the people of what belongs to them by right. Fights for empowerment like the Brazilian people are currently waging will have to be fought over and over again by putting the full weight of their organization and strength in numbers behind the task. The working people all over the world stand as one with the Brazilian people in this battle of history-making proportions. |