Brazilians will head to the polls on Oct. 7 for an election that hasn't been this open since the country's return to democracy in 1989. Polling suggests that far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro and leftist candidate Fernando Haddad will advance to a second round. Victory, however, is likely to bring the winner more challenges than relief, because a divided Congress could very well stall the next president's vision for the country. The Scandal That Took Down the Heavyweights Events over the past four years have made this year's elections the most hotly contested in a generation. During 2015-16, Brazil experienced its worst economic recession ever, as well as severe political turmoil due to a widespread corruption scandal that hit all of the country's major parties. In essence, most of the country's main political leaders were either jailed or investigated for participation in the Petroleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) corruption scheme.