The Bolsonaro family tree can be very confusing, so a guide is often helpful. “God, homeland, family and liberty” is the slogan that sums up the idea of Brazil put forward by the clan in recent years. The most radical Bolsonarists interpret the term “family” in the most traditional sense — father, mother, children and perhaps a pet — even though millions of Brazilians do not fit that model. Not even Jair Messias Bolsonaro, 71, the former military officer who restored pride and visibility to Brazil’s far right. After three marriages and two divorces, the patriarch formed a family with five children (four adult men, all politicians, and one teenager), a political clan that also includes his current wife, a family shaken by scandals and endless internal tensions. Last Sunday, the former president’s eldest son, Flávio Bolsonaro, won the first round of the election against incumbent President Lula, and five Bolsonaros won parliamentary seats. Here is a guide to help keep track.

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Lula, who was born in 1945 in a small town in the interior of the state of Pernambuco, defied the odds by surviving hunger and disease as a baby — a fate that befell so many of his compatriots in those same circumstances. Now he dreams of defying the odds, and history, once again. Never since Brazil restored democracy in 1985 has anyone who finished second in the first round of the presidential election gone on to win the final vote. President Lula da Silva, who on Sunday secured 45% of the vote compared to Flávio Bolsonaro’s 47%, is devising a strategy to attract centrist voters and mobilize the masses of abstainers, with a special focus on those aged over 70. He has three weeks to make what now sounds like nothing short of a miracle a reality.

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