If you look at how elections happen in Brazil, you will understand the value and strength of Indian democracy. 🇮🇳
✅ 2003 to 2010: Left wing leader Lula da Silva served as Brazil’s President. In 2018, he was jailed in a corruption case for nearly 580 days.
✅ 2018: Right wing Jair Bolsonaro won the presidency. The judge who convicted Lula later became Bolsonaro’s Justice Minister.
✅ 2021 to 2022: Brazil’s Supreme Court annulled Lula’s convictions, and Lula returned to power after defeating Bolsonaro.
✅ 2023 to 2025: Lula appointed his former lawyer and Justice Minister to the Supreme Court. Both later voted to convict Jair Bolsonaro in a coup plot case. He received a 27 year prison sentence.
✅ 2026 Election: Bolsonaro’s son Flávio challenged Lula. On election day, Lula’s former lawyer, now a Supreme Court judge, ordered a controversial two hour voting extension. Both campaigns had sought extra time.
✅ Result: Lula won with 51.79% and a margin of over 44 lakh votes. The election faced challenges, but there is no established evidence that the extension changed the result.
✅ India’s Interest: Despite Lula’s left wing ideology, his support for BRICS, the Global South and a multipolar world order aligns with India’s strategic interests.
✅ The Bigger Picture: India manages a much larger electorate with extraordinary political, religious and linguistic diversity. Despite its challenges, our democratic continuity remains a remarkable achievement.
We should question our institutions when necessary, but also recognize the extraordinary strength of the world’s largest democracy. 🇮🇳