Jair Bolsonaro officially launches his race for a second term

Re-election goal. Brazilian far-right president Jair Bolsonaro launched his candidacy for the presidential election to be held on October 2 and 30 next Sunday, July 24, during a meeting in Rio. He said pray to God “so that Brazil never knows the pains of communism”, in a reference to Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, leading in the polls, whom he accused, without naming him, of wanting to restrict freedoms if he returns to power. According to the latest Datafolha poll, carried out in June, the founder of the Workers’ Party (PT) would win 47% of the vote in the first round, far ahead of his far-right rival (28%).

The outgoing president encouraged his supporters to support him by taking to the streets on September 7, the national holiday, as they had already done last year. He also made a direct appeal to young Brazilians most of whom, according to polls, prefer Lula: “We must attract young leftists to our camp, show them the truth (…) Where your candidate has supported others in South America, look at the misery in these countries, look at Venezuela (… ), look where our Argentina is going, with 50% of its inhabitants close to the poverty line.”

Twelve thousand people followed the speech, assured its organizers. The president appeared on stage with a bulletproof vest under his shirt, while an important security device, including metal detectors, was put in place. A month before the 2018 presidential election, which he won, Jair Bolsonaro was stabbed in the stomach during a rally.