Presidential in Brazil: six months before the election Jair Bolsonaro hardens the tone
Audio 01:00
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during his meeting in Brasilia on March 27, 2022. AP - Eraldo Peres
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
It was in warlike terms that President Jair Bolsonaro launched his pre-candidacy in Brazil 6 months before the elections during a meeting of his new party, the Liberal Party, in Brasilia.
Former President Lula is leading in the polls, but for Jair Bolsonaro it is a "
fight of good against evil
".
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With our correspondent in São Paulo
,
Martin Bernard
The Brazilian president hardens the tone.
Even if the electoral campaign is not yet officially launched, the outgoing president has tried to mobilize his troops by setting the bar very high.
“
This land is our land.
This is our Brazil.
Our enemy does not come from the outside, he is internal.
This is not a fight of the left against the right.
It's a fight of good against evil
,” he told his supporters.
Jair Bolsonaro has gleaned a few points in the latest polls by hunting in particular on the lands of his main opponent, former President Lula, in the Nordeste region, but Lula still retains a 17-point lead, according to a recent survey by opinion.
According to the latest poll by the Datafolha institute published on Thursday, 43% of Brazilians would vote for Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the first round, against 26% for Bolsonaro.
►
To read also: Brazil: Jair Bolsonaro joins the Liberal Party, his re-election in mind
“
It is not because a false poll is published a thousand times that someone will be elected president
,” added the outgoing president to the applause of his supporters.
Jair Bolsonaro continues to present himself as an anti-corruption president, but defends tooth and nail his Minister of Education, yet suspected of having granted favors to mayors of evangelical faith.
The popularity of the far-right president had fallen sharply at the end of last year, with only 22% of favorable opinions.
He is widely criticized for his government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 650,000 lives in Brazil.
The economic situation is also bad, with galloping inflation which weighs on the purchasing power of the poorest.
►
To read also: In Brazil, voters disappointed with Bolsonaro
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Brazil
Jair Bolsonaro