US magazine says Lula could be “swept away” by right-wing wave

Next Sunday (25), the PT member will face Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) in the second round of the presidential election.

The New Yorker article, titled “Lula’s Last Dance,” points out that “Brazil’s once-imposing left-wing leader may soon be swept away by the right-wing wave in Latin America.”

“Lula faces a defeat that could end his political career, with the odds favoring Flávio Bolsonaro — a far-right challenger who, like his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, currently in prison, is determined to dismantle Lula’s legacy,” stated the article in the Global Notes column, written by Ishaan Tharoor.

The New Yorker said that the result of the first round, held on October 4 and in which Lula was behind Flávio, was “disheartening” for the PT member.

“In a surprising result, the candidate seeking re-election was two points behind Bolsonaro — now a senator —, at the same time that right-wing parties and candidates advanced in elections for Congress and state governments across the country,” stated the magazine, which highlighted the victories of candidates aligned with American President Donald Trump since he returned to the White House in January 2025.

“Brazil is now poised to become the most significant example in a long list of Latin American nations that have moved to the right in the past two years — a shift that aligns with the Trump administration’s ideological vision for the hemisphere,” said the New Yorker.