{"text":[[{"start":8,"text":"Brazilians decide on Sunday whether to re-elect President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva or replace him with hard-right challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, in a high-stakes run-off vote that could reshape the country’s relationship with the US."}],[{"start":21.44,"text":"Lula, the 80-year-old leftwing politician seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, trails his opponent narrowly in most polls, many within the margin of error, after losing to him in the first round earlier this month."}],[{"start":35,"text":"The 45-year-old senator Bolsonaro has pledged closer alignment with Donald Trump and vowed to free his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a lengthy sentence for plotting a coup."}],[{"start":46.84,"text":"The tiebreaker is a proxy rematch of four years ago, when the elder Bolsonaro lost to Lula in the country’s closest ever presidential race. The conservative patriarch was found guilty last year of conspiring to illegally remain in power after that defeat."}],[{"start":61.8,"text":"Brazil has emerged as a crucial battleground for Washington’s ambitions in Latin America, following a number of rightwing electoral victories across the region."}],[{"start":70.88,"text":"Bruna Santos, Brazil programme director at the Inter-American Dialogue, said a Bolsonaro victory would be a “political win” for the Trump administration, which has targeted Brasília with trade tariffs and other punitive measures since last year."}],[{"start":84.94,"text":"“The White House would gain another ideological partner in the region,” she added. “Lula offers continuity and repair, and Flávio offers a break with the system.”"}],[{"start":94.62,"text":"A former metalworker and union leader during Brazil’s military dictatorship, Lula previously governed from 2003 to 2010 and achieved a sharp reduction in poverty. He was later jailed on corruption charges, but his convictions were subsequently overturned."}],[{"start":110.54,"text":"The leftist president promotes stronger ties with other so-called middle powers and the Brics group of developing nations."}],[{"start":117.88,"text":"Despite relatively low unemployment and solid economic growth under Lula, voters remain frustrated by the cost of living and crime. Bolsonaro has pledged to cut spending to bring down interest rates and take a tougher line against gangs."}],[{"start":131.36,"text":"Christopher Garman, managing director for the Americas at consultancy Eurasia Group, said “a sense of stagnation” explained Lula’s difficulties."}],[{"start":140.68,"text":"“The cost of capital has become suffocating and many families are heavily indebted. It is not that voters have become more ideological, but that Flávio has managed to ride some of this dissatisfaction.”"}],[{"start":153.2,"text":"Bolsonaro beat Lula by 47 per cent to 45 per cent in an initial vote three weeks ago, spurring a financial market rally at the prospect of a more business-friendly government. Investors are concerned about Brazil’s large budget deficit and public borrowing."}],[{"start":169.8,"text":"No candidate who finished second in the first round has won a Brazilian presidential election since the return of democracy in 1985."}],[{"start":178.4,"text":"But Bolsonaro’s lead has narrowed in several recent polls as Lula has promised debt relief, free weekend public transport and financial aid for poorer students. Lula’s supporters warn that welfare benefits and public services are at risk under Bolsonaro, who insists he will protect social programmes."}],[{"start":197.36,"text":"Official figures last week showed Amazon deforestation had fallen to its lowest level since records began in 1988. But environmentalists warn that progress could be reversed under Bolsonaro, whose father presided over soaring destruction of the rainforest. Such a reversal could also jeopardise a free-trade deal with the EU, according to European lawmakers."}],[{"start":224.07,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1792927207_8809.mp3"}