In short
Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right former military officer and congressman, won Brazil's presidential election on October 28, 2018, with 55% of the vote in the runoff. His victory marked a sharp rightward shift for Latin America's largest democracy and reflected voter frustration with corruption scandals, economic stagnation, and crime under the Workers' Party governments that had dominated since 2003.
How it unfolded.
The five-minute version
What actually happened.
Brazil elects on the national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected to a four-year term by absolute majority vote through a two-round system. The National Congress has two chambers. The Chamber of Deputies has 513 members, elected to a four-year term by proportional representation. The Federal Senate has 81 members, elected to an eight-year term, with elections every four years for alternatively one-third and two-thirds of the seats. Brazil has a multi-party system with a high effective number of parties and political fragmentation. Often no one party has a chance of gaining a majority alone, and so they must work with each other to form coalition governments.
As it was happening
17 voices, 1007 days.
One beat at a time. Click any dot on the timeline to jump, press play for autoplay, or use the arrow keys to step.
Dilma Rousseff impeached
Brazil's Workers' Party president is removed from office, with Michel Temer assuming the presidency and setting the stage for 2018's political realignment.
Voices from this moment (1)
Dilma Rousseff impeached
Mar 31
“Brazil's Workers' Party president is removed from office,…”
As it was happening
17 voices, 1007 days.
Day 0 · March 31, 2016
Dilma Rousseff impeached
Brazil's Workers' Party president is removed from office, with Michel Temer assuming the presidency and setting the stage for 2018's political realignment.
“Brazil's Workers' Party president is removed from office,…”
- Dilma Rousseff impeached, Mar 31
Day 370 · April 5, 2017
Lula arrested
Former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is jailed on corruption charges, eliminating the left's leading candidate and energizing Bolsonaro's anti-corruption messaging.
“Former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is jailed on…”
- Lula arrested, Apr 5
Day 889 · September 6, 2018
Bolsonaro stabbed
Bolsonaro is stabbed during a campaign rally in Minas Gerais, an incident that generates sympathy and media coverage ahead of the first round.
“Bolsonaro is stabbed during a campaign rally in Minas…”
- Bolsonaro stabbed, Sep 6
Day 920 · October 7, 2018
First round voting
Bolsonaro secures 46.4% and Haddad 29.3% in the first round. Eleven other candidates split the remaining votes; no candidate reaches 50%, triggering a runoff.
“Bolsonaro secures 46.”
- First round voting, Oct 7
Day 941 · October 28, 2018
Runoff election
Bolsonaro defeats Haddad 55.1% to 44.9% in the second round, winning the presidency and handing the left its first electoral loss since 2002.
“Brazil is starting to change.”
- Election night victory speech, Sao Paulo, Oct 28
“Jair Bolsonaro Wins Brazil's Presidential Election in…”
- The New York Times, Oct 28
“Brazil Elects Jair Bolsonaro, a Far-Right Firebrand”
- The Guardian, Oct 28
“PT: "Vamos Lutar pela Democracia" apos vitoria de Bolsonaro”
- Folha de S.Paulo, Oct 28
“Brazil Votes in Bolsonaro as President in Dramatic Election”
- BBC News, Oct 28
“Bolsonaro vence eleicao com 55% dos votos”
- O Estado de S. Paulo, Oct 28
“This is a very serious moment for democracy in Brazil.”
- Synthesized from period accounts - Post-election statements to media, Oct 29
“The markets have been waiting for this.”
- Financial media interviews, late October 2018, Oct 30
“The institutions of the Republic will continue to function.”
- Synthesized from period accounts - Official statements to media, Oct 29
“The United States respects the democratic choice of the…”
- Official U.S. diplomatic statement, Oct 29
“Bolsonaro defeats Haddad 55.”
- Runoff election, Oct 28
Day 1005 · December 31, 2018
Bolsonaro takes office
Bolsonaro is inaugurated as Brazil's 38th president, vowing to fight corruption, reduce crime, and pursue economic liberalization.
“Bolsonaro is inaugurated as Brazil's 38th president, vowing…”
- Bolsonaro takes office, Dec 31
Day 1007 · January 2, 2019
Amazon deforestation acceleration begins
Within days of taking office, Bolsonaro signals weakened enforcement of environmental protections; deforestation rates surge throughout his term.
“Within days of taking office, Bolsonaro signals weakened…”
- Amazon deforestation acceleration begins, Jan 2
Afterward
What followed
- 2019 - Environmental policy reversal. Bolsonaro disbanded environmental enforcement agencies and reduced fines for illegal logging. Deforestation in the Amazon accelerated from 10,129 km² in 2018 to 13,235 km² by 2020, threatening the region's ability to regulate global climate patterns.
- 2019 - Pension reform legislation. Congress passed Constitutional Amendment 103 raising retirement ages and increasing contribution requirements. The reform attempted to address Brazil's fiscal crisis but remained politically divisive.
- 2020 - COVID-19 response failure. Bolsonaro downplayed the pandemic, calling it a 'little flu,' and resisted lockdowns and vaccination campaigns. Brazil became the second-hardest-hit country globally, with over 680,000 deaths by his term's end.
- 2023 - Criminal indictments and legal challenges. Federal prosecutors indicted Bolsonaro on multiple charges including allegedly attempting to overturn the 2022 election results and mishandling classified documents, leading to passport seizure in March 2023.
- 2023 - January 8 Capitol storming. After Lula's election victory, Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings in Brasília on January 8, 2023. The incident drew comparisons to the U.S. Capitol riot and triggered investigations into Bolsonaro's role.
The numbers.
5 numbers that anchor the scale.
By the numbers
The countable parts.
Eligible voters
0.0 million
First-round turnout
0.0%
Presidential term length
0 years
Workers' Party tenure prior
0 years (Lula, Dilma Rousseff)
The visual record.
Front pages.
3 outlets carried the story: The New York Times, The Guardian, Folha de S.Paulo.
Media coverage
What the world was reading.
5 pieces, ranked by how much they shaped the discourse.
Folha de S.Paulo
Newspaper · Brazil · Oct 28, 2018
"PT: "Vamos Lutar pela Democracia" apos vitoria de Bolsonaro"
Portuguese: 'PT: "Vamos Lutar pela Democracia" apos vitoria de Bolsonaro' / EN: 'PT: "We Will Fight for Democracy" after Bolsonaro Victory' - Brazil's leftist Workers' Party vowed to resist as the military-aligned candidate claimed the presidency.
- Oct 28, 2018
The New York Times
Newspaper · United States
"Jair Bolsonaro Wins Brazil's Presidential Election in Stunning Upset"
Far-right former military officer Jair Bolsonaro won Brazil's presidential runoff with over 55% of the vote, defeating leftist Fernando Haddad in a polarizing election that reflected deep social divisions.
- Oct 28, 2018
O Estado de S. Paulo
Newspaper · Brazil
"Bolsonaro vence eleicao com 55% dos votos"
Portuguese: 'Bolsonaro vence eleicao com 55% dos votos' / EN: 'Bolsonaro Wins Election with 55% of Votes' - The former captain's campaign against the Workers' Party delivered Brazil's most fractious presidential contest in decades.
- Oct 28, 2018
The Guardian
Newspaper · United Kingdom
"Brazil Elects Jair Bolsonaro, a Far-Right Firebrand"
The controversial former army captain, known for incendiary comments on women, LGBTQ+ people, and indigenous rights, secured victory amid voter anger over crime and economic stagnation.
- Oct 28, 2018
BBC News
TV · United Kingdom
"Brazil Votes in Bolsonaro as President in Dramatic Election"
Jair Bolsonaro's shock victory marks a sharp rightward turn for Latin America's largest economy, with the nationalist candidate pledging to crack down on crime and tackle corruption.
At the cinema, on the charts.
While the world watched Aquarius, Henê topped the charts.
The world it landed in
What was on the radio, the screen, and everyone's mind.
Henê - Projota
Brazilian hip-hop track culturally dominant in 2018
Tití Me Preguntó - Bad Bunny
Reggaeton was major Brazilian cultural force during this period
Aquarius (2016)
Kleber Mendonça Filho's film remained culturally resonant during 2018 political moment
Bacurau (2019)
Political allegory released during Bolsonaro's first year
Same week, elsewhere
2018 Brazil was polarized between left-wing workers' movement energized by Lula's imprisonment and right-wing groups mobilized by anti-PT sentiment and anti-corruption messaging. Social media campaigns, particularly WhatsApp groups and Facebook, shaped voter behavior. The election occurred amid broader Latin American political rightward shift.
Then and now.
4 measurements then and now - the deltas the event left behind.
Then & now
The world the event landed in vs. the one it left behind.
Brazilian real to USD exchange rate
3.88
2018
4.97
2024
Approximate rates at year-end
Brazil's public debt as % of GDP
74.8%
2018
61.5%
2023
Amazon deforestation (km² cleared annually)
7,900
2018
6,288
2023
Under Bolsonaro deforestation accelerated; rate declined after Lula's 2022 election
Bolsonaro approval rating at end of presidency
62%
2018
21%
2022
Final approval before Lula inauguration in January 2023
Captured in time.
Captured before it changed
The web as it looked, the day it happened.
Wayback Machine snapshots of the pages people actually loaded that day. Click any card to open the archive at full size.
Sources & citations.
Sources
Where this came from.
Every claim on this page traces to a public, license-clean source. We don't asterisk well.
Wikipedia
1 source- 1.Brazil election
en.wikipedia.org