Four fears and frustrations that are shaping Brazil’s election. One is Trump.

Four fears and frustrations that are shaping Brazil’s election. One is Trump. - The Washington Post

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Four fears and frustrations that are shaping Brazil’s election. One is Trump.

Officials in Brazil have grown increasingly concerned about the possibility of U.S. interference in the presidential vote on Sunday.

October 3, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. EDTToday at 5:00 a.m. EDT

*President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is seeking reelection, waves a Brazilian flag at a Sept. 23 rally in Rio de Janeiro. (AP)*

By Marina Dias

BRASÍLIA — For millions of voters, Brazil’s presidential election on Sunday is less about who inspires them most than who scares them least.

The front-runners are, for many, wearyingly familiar. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, is running for an unprecedented fourth four-year term; the left-wing leader has already served the most terms, albeit nonconsecutively, of any president in Brazil’s young democracy.

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