Brazil, Israel, Serbia and the United States are all scheduled to hold elections within a 10-day window. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will face Flávio Bolsonaro in a runoff presidential election in Brazil this Sunday.
Since taking office on 1 January 2023, Lula da Silva has overseen a democratic resurgence in Brazil after his far-right populist predecessor attempted to overturn the previous October election results. Flávio Bolsonaro has threatened to pardon his father, Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting to stage a coup.
The challenger also claims he intends to change the constitution, move the Brazilian embassy to Jerusalem, and lower the age of criminal responsibility to under 18. Israel will conduct its elections on Tuesday.
Benjamin Netanyahu faces an international criminal court warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, following 19 years of democratic backsliding and human rights abuses over the last 30 years. Serbia is set to vote on Tuesday as Aleksandar Vučić prepares to seek a second term after 12 years as president.
The Serbian Progressive party (SNS) has been accused of turning state institutions into political tools, while the last two independent news channels were purchased by a Portuguese investor linked to Viktor Orbán's ousted Hungarian regime. A student-led mass movement has gripped Serbia for two years and is fielding a full list of candidates against the SNS.
Serbia's democracy index rating is 112, and the country has faced issues with Israeli-built Pegasus spyware found on the phones of pro-democracy activists. Serbia is committed to spending $2bn on Israeli defence systems and the two nations opened a joint plant in September.
The United States will count its votes on 3 November for the midterm elections. Donald Trump's Maga movement has provided overt political support to Netanyahu, Vučić, and Bolsonaro, while the US has supplied much of the ordnance for Netanyahu’s wars.
