Presidential in Brazil: official start of the electoral campaign for the favorites Lula and Jair Bolsonaro

The far-right incumbent president, Jair Bolsonaro, and the hero of the Brazilian left, Lula, are the two presidential favorites in Brazil.

© Fotomontagem RFI/Adriana de Freitas/AP photos

Text by: RFI Follow

3 mins

This is the official start of the electoral campaign in Brazil.

In the center there will be two big favorites: Lula against Jair Bolsonaro.

A dozen other candidates seem to make up the numbers alongside these two candidates.

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With our correspondent in São Paulo

,

The two favorites have already been crisscrossing the country for several weeks to get in touch with voters, but the official campaign, with meetings and distribution of leaflets, is only authorized from this Tuesday, August 16.

The TV spots will only be aired from August 26.

Jair Bolsonaro

has chosen to return to the small town of Juiz de Fora to launch his official campaign.

The far-right outgoing president, candidate for re-election, wanted to push the symbolism down to the smallest detail: he will deliver his speech on a platform set up on the same crossroads where he had been

during a bath in crowd, September 6, 2018.

►Also read: Presidential election in Brazil: Bolsonaro launches his campaign with an appeal to young people

This former captain of the army

, now 67 years old, has multiplied the bravado against the institutions, in particular the Supreme Court.

Despising mainstream media, he shunned the usual communication channels, preferring to speak directly to his

, of which he is an avid user. many slippages have inspired strong rejection from the more moderate electorate over the months.

Lula comes a long way

As for

 , he must go to the steelworkers' union, where he began his political career in the suburbs of São Paulo.

The hero of the Brazilian left and founder of the PT has come a long way.

Sentenced for

, imprisoned for a year and a half, banned from the presidential election in 2018, he saw the horizon clear in March 2021 after the cancellation of his convictions by the Supreme Court.

In late April 2022, the UN Human Rights Committee concluded that the investigation and prosecution of Lula violated his right to be tried by an impartial tribunal.

Recovering his political rights, this leader - who many thought was finished - will try to be elected to the supreme office, twelve years after leaving power.

Lula remains perceived as " 

 " and is still very much loved, especially in the poor regions of the Northeast.

But he is just as fiercely hated by some Brazilians.

►Also read: 

If everything opposes these two candidates, Jair Bolsonaro and Lula should meet at the end of the day to attend the inauguration of the new president of the Superior Electoral Court: Alexandre de Moraes, who is often targeted by Jair Bolsonaro who

 last year.

It will be up to him to ensure the smooth running of the elections.

A task that promises to be difficult, in an overexcited atmosphere.

Monday evening, a poll by the Ipec institute gave a comfortable advantage to the former left-wing president, with 44% of voting intentions in the first round, against 32% for the current head of state.

(

AFP)

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• Brazil

• Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

• Jair Bolsonaro