Brazilians will vote in what many predict will be the nation's most important presidential election in decades this October. Recent months have seen a tightening of the campaign between current president Jair Bolsonaro and former president Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva. Brazil was one of the countries hardest impacted by COVID-19, so much of Bolsonaro's first term was devoted to the government's response to the pandemic. However, Bolsonaro's most recent attacks on the country's electoral system are now dominating headlines and raising anxiety. The stakes for Brazil's democracy and its economic direction are rising as the election draws nearer. The stakes for Brazil's democracy and its economic direction are rising as the election draws nearer.

Gustavo de Carvalho is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Global African Affairs at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa joined Radio Islam International to provide insight into the issues.