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Brazil: Far-Right Bolsonaro Wins First Round of Presidential Election

HeadlineOct 08, 2018

In Brazil, far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro surged to first place in Sunday’s general election, but will face an October 28 runoff election after narrowly missing an outright win. Bolsonaro claimed 46 percent of votes; he’ll face Workers’ Party candidate Fernando Haddad, who won just under 30 percent. Bolsonaro has a history of making racist, misogynistic and homophobic comments. He’s a former Army officer who has openly praised Brazil’s military dictatorship, has encouraged police to kill suspected drug dealers, and once told a female lawmaker she was too ugly to rape. Ahead of the election, anti-Bolsonaro protesters rallied in São Paulo and in other cities Saturday, proclaiming, “Not Him.”

Luci: “My son is transgender. And for his security, I am here protesting. Bolsonaro is homophobic and incites violence against those who are not heterosexual.”

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