World

Flávio Bolsonaro Vows to Respect Brazil Election Outcome

Is he showing respect to democracy's rules or dodging accountability behind hollow pledges?

13 hours ago·Updated 2 hours ago

Flávio Bolsonaro Vows to Respect Brazil Election Outcome

Story

Above: Flávio Bolsonaro attends a campaign rally in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 22. Image credit: Daniel Ramalho/Xinhua/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

Flávio Bolsonaro made it clear that he'll respect the rules of the game, and win by them. In fact, Brazilian conservatives have long been the only defenders of democracy in the country. After all, Jair Bolsonaro and many others convicted of sham coup-related charges were tried by their own political enemies.

Flavio Bolsonaro on X

Narrative B

Flávio Bolsonaro's pledge to respect election results rings hollow when he flat-out dodges whether he'd accept losing. Asked three times if he'd accept the outcome, the answer was always "I won't lose" — which is just a slicker way of saying no. Letting that kind of evasion slide without a hard follow-up only emboldens more dishonesty down the road.

UOL on Youtube