Briefing | Trump’s tropical disciple

Jair Bolsonaro is poised to lose the Brazilian election

He will not go quietly

BARRETOS, BRAZIL - AUGUST 26: Jair Bolsonaro President of Brazil rides a horse as he waves at attendees during the 2022 Cowboy Festival of Barretos (Festa do Peão de Barretos) on August 26, 2022 in Barretos, Brazil. President Bolsonaro visited one of the most important cowboy events in Brazil also known worldwide for its size and the various shows it offers with world-famous stars. The ruler of Brazil aspires to be reelected for a second tenure in the October 2 elections. (Photo by Alisson Demetrio/Getty Images)
|Rio de Janeiro

The polls are clear. Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s rainforest-ravaging president, is likely to lose an election in October. His leftist rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is 13 points ahead. But many of Mr Bolsonaro’s supporters do not believe the polls.

This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Trump’s tropical disciple”

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