1989 Brazilian presidential election

Brazil's military regime ended in 1985 with an indirect vote by an electoral college, so the founding moment for ordinary voters came in 1989: the first direct presidential election since 1960, with rounds on November 15 and December 17 and turnout above 85 percent in both. Fernando Collor beat Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the runoff by 53 to 47 percent. What came next is why this entry is so instructive. Collor resigned in December 1992, hours before the Senate convicted him in his impeachment trial, and the institutions removed a freely elected president by constitutional means instead of breaking, an early sign the new democracy could absorb a crisis.