Latin America's largest democracy and boasting a large and diversified economy, Brazil is also an independent and influential actor on the world stage. Yet its democracy is at once extraordinarily vibrant and extremely fragile. Despite Lula's popularity, the aggressive polarization that marks its society and politics poses a formidable challenge to his campaign to return to office as President for a fourth term in the elections on 4 October. Though Jair Bolsonaro's 2022-23 coup attempt failed, Brazil’s institutions remain embattled and divided, while the many internal threats to their independence have been aggravated by the actions of the Trump administration, and its scarcely concealed support for Lula's right-wing opponent Flavio Bolsonaro. The 2026 elections in Brazil thus hold enormous stakes not only for Brazil and Latin America, but also for the entire world. What exactly are these stakes and how can we understand the outcome of the elections in their light? This panel brings together two stalwart experts on Latin America for a conversation around these questions.

SPEAKERS

• Graziella Moraes Silva, Professor of Sociology, Geneva Graduate Institute, and co-Director of the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy

• Yanina Welp, Research Fellow, Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy

 MODERATOR

• Gopalan Balachandran, Honorary Professor of International History and Politics, Geneva Graduate Institute and co-Director of the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy