While the justice of the South American giant decides the future of former President Lula da Silva, the names of the vice-presidential candidates were presented

Leer en español: Brasil: Incertidumbre electoral con actores definidos

In the upcoming elections in Brazil, held in October, the judiciary will have a very high level of interference since it is in their hands to approve or not the candidacy of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. According to the surveys that have been carried out in the country during the last two months, the voting intentions vary enough if Lula presents himself as a candidate. It is necessary to mention that, if Lula runs in the electoral contest, his intention to vote for the second round is superior to any other candidate, informs Europa Press.

But the role of judicial actors is not something that comes from last year. The Lava Jato investigation, the Odebrecht scandal that has involved throughout Latin America, among other cases have ensured a fundamental role of justice in politics. From this point of view, the candidates have had to look carefully at who their vice-presidential formulas will be, since the support that these and their backgrounds  as an individual may imply losing or winning.

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Lula doesn't know if he has a wild card or an executioner

Since April 7, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva remains in prison, without this affecting him to make campaign. On Sunday, August 5, Lula announced that his vice-presidential formula would be Fernando Haddad, who was minister of education under his presidency and mayor of Sao Paulo in 2013.

The Communist Party decided to put aside its presidential aspiration and preferred to make an alliance with the Workers Party (PT) of which the former president is a member. While Lula has in mind to run in the presidential elections of October, the country's justice has not yet expressed itself in this regard. If there is a result where Lula can not be a candidate, it will be Haddad who heads the candidature, and Manuela Dávila (who was to be the candidate for the Communist Party) his vice-presidential formula. The problem lies in the fact that neither of them has a strong intention to vote, which could become a headache for the PT who wants to win the elections, as reported by Europa Press.

During the last week, speculations about the alliance between the PT and the Communist party were consolidated when Dávila announced the withdrawal of his presidential aspirations.

Because the presidential race has already begun, Haddad and Dávila will start touring the country together to make their proposals known to the population. The PT trusts that the pronouncement of the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE) will be promptly manifested to leave uncertainty about Lula's future in the electoral contest.

The extreme right confirms its military cut

While the PT announced Fernando Haddad as a vice-presidential formula, Jair Bolsonaro also announced who would accompany him in his search for the presidency. Antonio Hamilton Mourão, retired army general was appointed as a running mate. Mourão in 2017, as Infobae remembers, was the military man who announced that the Army would take power in the country, if the judiciary did not do something about it in the face of high levels of corruption in politics.

Bolsonaro, who has been strongly criticized for his stance in favor of the military dictatorship of the second half of the 20th century in Brazil, has built part of his proposals with a fairly sharp right-wing cut. Bolsonaro in an interview with Reuters in 2017 and in response to Mourão's statements, tried to minimize the situation: "It was just a warning. Nobody wants to take power that way (…) Maybe we could have an Army man winning in 2018 but through elections. "

With the arrival of Mourão to the vice presidential formula, Bolsonaro can concentrate on the presidencial campaign. According to Europa Press, Bolsonaro has an intention to vote of 17%, the highest in case of facing Lula. That is why, the road to travel is prolonged and uncertain until the TSE manifests it's decision.

LatinAmerican Post | Carlos Eduardo Gómez

Translated from:  "Brasil: Incertidumbre electoral con actores definidos"