A dozen candidates are vying for the presidential election in Brazil, but two of them far outdistance their opponents in opinion polls. On the one hand, the current president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known as “Lula”, 80 years old, is seeking a fourth term and is contesting his seventh presidential campaign. On the other hand, Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, a novice at the national level, was propelled to the forefront after the incarceration of his father, Jair Bolsonaro, sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempted coup d’état.
A survey by the Quaest institute, published Friday, credits the outgoing president with 43% of voting intentions, compared to 40% for Bolsonaro’s son in the hypothesis of a second round. However, the two rivals face rejection rates exceeding 50%.
“I will not stop fighting against the right”
Sunday August 16, it was from the São Bernardo do Campo stadium, in the working-class suburbs of São Paulo, that Lula chose to kick off his campaign. A symbolic place for the outgoing president, who launched his major union struggles in the same place during the military dictatorship, between the 1960s and 1980s. During his meeting, the octogenarian returned at length to the social achievements of his previous mandates: “There are many people who ask: ‘Why does Lula want a new mandate?’ I want to tell you something: as long as I am alive, I will not stop fighting against the right,” he proclaimed.
For his part, Flavio Bolsonaro preferred the symbol of Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro where his father once gathered his supporters en masse. It presents itself as a “more moderate” version of its progenitor, while capitalizing on the latter’s popularity. “I know I look like him. But it is difficult to compare Pelé’s son to Pelé,” he said on Sunday.
In an offensive tone, he promised radical reforms focused on security and the reduction of bureaucracy: “We will reduce taxes, reduce bureaucracy, put an end to corruption”, adding that he wanted to classify several criminal organizations, including the PCC and Comando Vermelho, as terrorist groups. The first round of the election will be held on October 4.
