October 2 is set to be a decisive moment in Brazil’s recent history. The country will hold elections for legislative and executive seats at the state and federal levels. Running for reelection is far-right incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro; against him are a handful of candidates, most prominently Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (often known simply as Lula), who served as president from 2003 to 2010. The backdrop is Brazil’s grave economic situation, chaotic political scene, and a widespread sense of hopelessness about the future.

The country has witnessed high levels of work precarization and unemployment as well as skyrocketing inflation over the last years. Clashes between spheres of government and over “fake news” have created a feeling of demoralization among the population. Environmental destruction and diplomatic fiascos have isolated the country internationally. The mismanagement of the pandemic, resulting in over 680,000 people dead, has moved the country back onto the world hunger map.

The situation is a stark contrast from the first decade of the 2000s, when Brazil lifted millions out of poverty and became a protagonist in cooperation within the Global South. Brazil under Bolsonaro clearly illustrates the way the neoliberal agenda has evolved amid discontinuities and readjustments in the twenty-first century — which is crucial to understanding both the forthcoming elections and what will transpire in their wake.