Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has kicked-off his reelection campaign, with a view to the country’s general election, which is scheduled to take place on the 2nd of October. Should a second round of voting be required, per Brazil’s voting system, it would be held on the 30th of the same month.
The president has chosen to begin his campaign by returning to the city where he was stabbed in 2018, Juiz de Fora, describing it as the place of his rebirth while calling for large-scale social mobilization.
The would-be assassin, Adelio Bispo de Oliveira, was a Socialism and Liberty Party member who believed himself to have been ordered by God to carry out the murder.
The incumbent will be facing former President and Worker Party (PT) candidate, Lula da Silva, who so far, according to polls, is commanding a solid lead. For his part, Bolsonaro has expressed concern over electoral fraud in Brazil, attempting to mitigate the risk thereof. Critics argue there is no hard evidence for such fraud.
In order to close the distance in voter intention, Bolsonaro has invoked the economic disaster of Venezuela and increasing poverty in Argentina to warn the public of the dangers represented by the sort of leftist policies defended by Lula.
