Malls and App Drivers Reshape Brazil's Vote

Brazil will hold its presidential runoff on Sunday.

The race is being influenced by a major change in how many Brazilians earn their keep.

Osasco, a city near São Paulo often called the local Silicon Valley, saw its factories close one after another.

Shopping centers and delivery app headquarters took the place of the old metal, chemical, and textile plants.

The municipality supported President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022.

In the first round held this month, voters in Osasco shifted their support to right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro won the national first-round vote.

Every candidate who won the first round in Brazil since 1989 has gone on to become president.

Gilberto Almazan leads a metalworkers' union in Osasco.

He describes the local economy as suffering from strong deindustrialization.

"Metal, chemical, textile factories disappeared. And five malls were built," Almazan said.

He called the traditional union movement that helped Lula rise a relic of the Middle Ages. Many workers now drive for apps or sell food online, a trend Almazan calls Uber-isation. These workers often prefer flexible hours to the collective bargaining and welfare programs Lula has championed. Richard Lapper, who has written biographies of both major candidates, notes that Brazil industrialized late and deindustrialized early. He describes Lula as a victim of his own success. Unemployment in Brazil has dropped to a record low under the current administration. The country was also removed from the United Nations Hunger Map. Despite these figures, Lapper points to a crisis of expectations driven by high prices, debt, and interest rates. Robson, a 53-year-old civil servant and former Lula supporter, blamed government mismanagement for the heavy tax load. Tairine, a hot dog seller who previously abstained from voting, now plans to back Bolsonaro. She stated that nothing has changed since Lula returned to office. Gisele Bonfim, a lawyer who voted for Lula in 2022, said Bolsonaro offers the hope of change. Flávio Bolsonaro has proposed cutting government spending, reducing the number of ministries, and lowering some taxes. He says he would keep several of Lula's key welfare programs. He has denied accusations of corruption. Thirty-three million people did not vote in the first round, marking the highest abstention rate since 1998. Lula's campaign is responding with large street rallies. The campaign said one rally in São Paulo drew about one million people. Lula, who is 80, used social media to address questions about his age, calling himself the king of selfies. Support for Lula remains strong in poorer areas. In Maré, a large favela in Rio, Lula won despite above-average abstention. Vitoria, an 18-year-old mother earning under £300 a month, praised Lula for raising the minimum wage and providing free essential medicines. She expressed doubt about Bolsonaro's plan to designate the Comando Vermelho gang a terrorist organization. She feared police raids like those in Rio last year that killed more than 130 people. Andreza Dionísio, a resident of Maré, blamed last-minute changes to polling station locations and a sense of hopelessness for low turnout. Evangelical churches, attended by about a quarter of Brazilians, are providing childcare, employment advice, and food. Pastor Silas Malafaia, who is being investigated for allegedly obstructing the coup trial of Jair Bolsonaro, said Flávio Bolsonaro shares the church's values on family and opposition to abortion. Malafaia called the probe against him politically motivated. The first round results appeared to reflect a rejection of Lula more than a clear endorsement of his rival. Almazan fears there will never be another Lula. Lula's chances in the runoff depend on whether voters believe he can offer a new story.