Democracy in Brazil is under threat.

President Bolsonaro has stoked fears of electoral fraud and manipulation. He has suggested that the armed forces should replace electoral institutions that are considered among the best in the world.

And he has threatened not to cede power without violence.

Bolsonaro said he will only leave office “killed, jailed, or victorious.” Addressing election results in a recent public speech, Bolsonaro declared: “If necessary, we will go to war.”

But the Brazilian people are rallying to defense of their democracy. Since July, over 1 million Brazilians have signed a petition demanding an end to escalating attacks on their democracy.

They write: “In today's Brazil there is no more room for authoritarian setbacks. Dictatorship and torture belong to the past. The solution to the immense challenges facing Brazilian society necessarily involves respect for the results of the elections.”