Interim: Paulo Rolemberg

The result of the October 30 presidential election will not put an end to the polarization that has been established in the country. Any result in the elections shows that this day will not end either at the end of the second round or next year. In other words, it will be a long process in Brazil.

Bolsonaro and Lula in the presidential race are symbols of polarization – Photo: Reproduction/ND

Over the past decade, animosity between left and right has stifled moderation, reduced dialogue, alienated friends, and even made weekend dinners impossible for many families.

Polarization no longer occurs in economic aspects, more or less state, from center-right to centre-left. Clash now opposes Progressives and Conservatives in terms of custom.

There are several reasons to explain this increase in this extreme polarization, such as the use of social media, public figures using politics as a way of expressing themselves. All this makes young people, especially people who are not usually interested in politics, start to be interested.

In the first round, about 100 million people strongly disagreed with each other. Regardless of which side we are on, it is simply unreasonable to think that 50 million Brazilians are fools, thieves, fascists, or any other vices that we want to impose on them.

The climate of a divided country and even violence against institutions is reflected in the climate of confrontation in the United States. The election between Joe Biden (current president) and Donald Trump has also been very polarized.

And even after the elections, the population remained polarized. It can be seen that these polarizations will take some time to balance.

If the voter stops thinking, for example, the World Cup will start after the elections. So perhaps with the arrival of football competitions, political sentiment can calm down and Brazilians will stop caring so much about politics.