Brazilian far-right President Jair Bolsonaro is preparing to announce his official candidacy for the October 2 presidential election on Sunday, determined to regain ground against Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, given as the favorite by the polls.
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The official announcement of Mr. Bolsonaro’s candidacy for re-election is scheduled for the Liberal Party (PL) convention in Rio de Janeiro, where he is to speak at the Maracanazinho gymnasium in front of 10,000 of his supporters and surrounded by an important safety feature.
According to the latest Datafolha poll, carried out in June, the former left-wing president Lula, founder of the Workers’ Party (PT), would obtain 47% of the vote in the first round, far ahead of Mr. Bolsonaro (28%).
The outgoing president’s advisers recommend that he focus on economic and social proposals, such as lowering fuel prices or increasing social assistance, and abandon the controversies he is used to, such as his attacks on the electronic voting system. Brazilian.
“(Electronic ballot boxes) is one of his obsessions that does not bring a voice,” one of the collaborators who worked on his speech told AFP.
Mr. Bolsonaro’s campaign team is also trying to “soften” his image and show him less angry and more relaxed, which is partly reflected in the slogan “O Capitao do Povo” (The People’s Captain). , used for Sunday’s rally, along with a photo of the smiling president.
