(Central News Agency reporter Tang Yaling's special report from Sao Paulo on the 9th) Brazil's presidential election has entered the runoff stage. Current President Lula and right-wing Senator Flavio. Bolsonaro will face off on the 25th. This election is not only regarded as a battle between the left and right lines in Brazil, but also affects US President Trump's new strategic layout in Latin America, and has attracted great international attention.
The Financial Times of the United Kingdom pointed out that the Brazilian election has become the focus of the Trump administration. The report described this as an extremely polarizing election campaign, the result of which will profoundly affect the relationship between Brazil and the United States. If Flávio Bolsonaro is elected, Brazil may move closer to Washington; if Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is re-elected, it is expected to continue its diplomatic line that emphasizes BRICS, the Global South, and cooperation with the EU and Canada.
On the main axis of the campaign, the two candidates show clear differences. Lula positioned the election as a choice of democratic values, focusing on poverty reduction, reducing Amazon rainforest deforestation, and an independent foreign policy; Flavio focused on public security, cutting government spending, and deepening cooperation with the United States in combating transnational drug trafficking. Flavio is the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The reason why Brazilian security issues have become the focus of this election is closely related to the new round of "drug war" promoted by the Trump administration in recent years. According to a report by the BBC Brazil News Network, the Trump administration is using more intense militarized methods to combat Latin American drug trafficking groups and regards drug trafficking organizations as security threats similar to terrorist organizations. The United States has not only included Brazil's major criminal organizations "Capital Command" (PCC) and "Red Legion" (CV) on the list of terrorist organizations, but has also actively promoted the "Shield of the Americas" security alliance involving many countries.
Flavio publicly stated that if elected, he would push Brazil to join the "American Shield" and support officially listing the PCC and CV as terrorist organizations. Analysts believe that if the right-wing camp wins the election, it will help Trump promote a closer anti-drug and security cooperation network in Latin America.
In contrast, Lula's government is wary of this. The report quoted people from Lula's camp as saying that the Brazilian government is worried that the United States is actually expanding its political and strategic influence in Latin America in the name of combating transnational crime. Critics even describe the United States as using the "Trojan horse" of anti-drug cooperation to bring broader geopolitical interests into Latin America.
Experts also warn that the Trump administration's new anti-drug strategy has gradually blurred the boundaries between the "war on drugs" and the "war on terrorism." In recent years, Washington has not only defined a number of Latin American criminal groups as terrorist organizations, but also promoted joint military cooperation between countries. Supporters believe this will help curb the expansion of criminal networks, but critics question that militarized methods may repeat the cycle of human rights disputes and violence caused by past U.S. anti-drug operations in Latin America.
Financial Times analysis pointed out that both Lula and Flavio are currently facing a situation of high support and high dislike. Lula still maintains a solid voter base based on his past achievements in poverty reduction, but he must face some people's doubts about the Labor Party's past corruption scandals and economic problems; Flavio has also been dragged down by controversies. Due to the limited gap between the two sides, the outcome of the runoff is still full of variables.
Observers believe that this election has gone beyond a simple change of parties. For Brazil, voters will determine the country's future direction in public security, economy and diplomacy; for the United States, the outcome is more related to whether Trump can establish a new regional order in Latin America with security cooperation as its core. Therefore, the vote on October 25 will not only affect the future of Brazil, but may also reshape the political landscape of Latin America as a whole. (Editor: Tian Ruihua) 1151010
