He is not a favorite in the polls… Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has said he will retire from political life if he loses the October election.
“If it is God's will, I continue.
Otherwise, I'm going to return the [presidential] sash and I'm going to stay behind, because at my age, I have nothing more to do here on Earth, if my stint (in the presidency) comes to an end December 31,” he said Monday night, during an interview with Podcasts for Evangelical Youth.
Surprising remarks from a far-right president who thunderously declared a year ago that "only God" could remove him from power.
In recent weeks, Jair Bolsonaro, 67, has moderated his rhetoric somewhat in an attempt to appeal to a more central electorate.
A delay of 11 points
In the latest survey by the benchmark institute Datafolha, published on Friday, he was 11 points behind the left-wing ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (34% against 45%), a gap which has narrowed. gradually, after being 21 points at the end of May.
“I am not the savior of the homeland, it is not me who will save Brazil”, also declared Jair Bolsonaro during the river interview on Monday evening, which lasted more than four hours.
A call to young people
The head of state addressed young people directly, saying that their decision in the election could "mark their future", before criticizing the left-wing governments in place in most other South American countries.
"Make comparisons with other countries, what the leaders of those states have in common where these [leftist] policies don't work, and ask yourself if that's what you want for Brazil," he said. he continued.
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Brazil
Jair Bolsonaro
President