Explaining Brazil #214: The broad front gets broader

On multiple occasions, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told voters that he is the only person capable of leading a broad front against President Jair Bolsonaro, an anti-democratic leader who, despite the numerous failures of his administration, still commands the support of one-third of the electorate. 

That broad front just got broader on Monday, when Lula shared a stage with and got the endorsement from Marina Silva, his former Environment Minister. A former ally, Ms. Silva has had a strained relationship with the Workers’ Party in recent years.

Their rapprochement was the culmination of months of behind-the-scenes negotiations to heal old wounds that had been opened by politics. It now gives Lula bonafide credentials in one area where Mr. Bolsonaro is the weakest: the environment.

Listen and subscribe to our podcast from your mobile device:

Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Deezer

Guest:

• Euan Marshall is an editor at The Brazilian Report and also hosts the Explaining Brazil podcast in the absence of Gustavo Ribeiro.

This episode used music from Uppbeat. License codes: PPWUGD14MZTQFEEV, KC1YCZNP4CGEAHWO, GRKMCSTTWVRW0FOH, OEHFYDSWZVCGQXAP, GPS5VHTTSMIBMVXZ, 2KQRQRX7R5UTMPZM.

Background reading:

• We have launched a special 2022 election report with everything you need to know about the races for Congress, governorships, and, of course, the presidency. Buy it here! Use the promo code Explaining2022 for a 20-percent discount.
• Here’s our take on the first presidential debate of 2022.
• Marina Silva, a former senator, environment minister, and three-time presidential candidate, will run for a House seat representing the state of São Paulo. The move aims at increasing the congressional presence of her party, an environmentalist group known as Rede.
• In 2018, Marina Silva talked to Euan Marshall in an exclusive interview about her deforestation plan, her exit from the government, and Jair Bolsonaro’s environmental calamity.
• Early in the 2018 presidential campaign, Marina Silva had decent polling numbers. Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, showed disbelief that she wasn’t being considered a favorite. We explained why that was the case.

Do you have a suggestion for our next Explaining Brazil podcast? Drop us a line at podcast@brazilian.report

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

• #elections
• #lula