Politics

Centenarian’s Vote Highlights Elderly Surge in Brazil’s Runoff

By Tom Phillips

On 25 October, Brazil held a pivotal presidential election. Celia de Oliveira Soares, 101, who had not voted in nearly a decade, was assisted by relatives to a polling station in Rio de Janeiro. She climbed two flights of stairs in a wheelchair, entered the booth, and entered the number “13” to vote for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, expressing her dislike for Flávio Bolsonaro and his father. Soares is among more than 1 million elderly voters who missed the first‑round election on 4 October, which Lula lost, but turned out for the second round. Lula’s unexpected comeback, gaining 10.3 million extra votes between rounds, has been attributed to factors such as increased welfare benefits, a large WhatsApp mobilization, student protests, and a significant turnout of voters over 70—1.4 million of the 3 million new voters in the runoff. Lula himself thanked the elderly at his 81st birthday party, describing their participation as a powerful human image. Political figures, including former minister Simone Tebet and journalist José Roberto de Toledo, noted the cross‑generational nature of the victory and the statistical evidence of higher turnout among older voters, though Toledo suggested the shift was driven more by fear than age. Soares, who has lived through four coups and 16 presidential elections, expressed excitement about Lula’s fourth term and predicted that Flávio Bolsonaro would flee abroad. She recalled her childhood during the 1937 dictatorship and her concerns about Bolsonaro’s authoritarian tendencies. The election’s outcome underscores the crucial role of elderly voters in Brazil’s democratic process.