One of Brazil’s leading conservative newspapers has demanded the removal of the country’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, as public outrage over his coronavirus response and corruption dragged the rightwing populist’s ratings to their lowest ever level. Critics have long questioned that image, pointing to incessant accusations of low-level corruption and mafia ties that have dogged Bolsonaro’s family. Datafolha’s poll suggests the leftwing former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva would trounce Bolsonaro in the 2022 race, with a 20-point gap between the two. “It will be the Brazilian people who free themselves of Bolsonaro,” Lula told the Guardian recently after regaining his political rights. Growing rightwing calls for Bolsonaro’s impeachment seem partly driven by conservative angst over Lula’s return.

Source: The Guardian July 11, 2021 15:59 UTC