On August 26, at the Baretus Cowboy Festival in São Paulo, Brazil, Bolsonaro rode a horse to greet the people.
Comprehensive compilation of Yuan Ye
As Brazil's election on October 2 draws nearer, the biggest concern for Brazilian voters is not who will win, but whether the losers will accept the results.
Brazilian President Bolsonaro has repeatedly slammed the country's electronic voting system as "rife with fraud," accusing election officials of being his enemies, according to the New York Times. He said he would challenge the losses he had suffered unless the electoral process was changed. He publicly called on the Brazilian army to come to his side, telling his tens of millions of supporters to "be ready for battle."
"If necessary, we will go to war." He said in a speech in late August.
Candidates such as Lula (second from left) and Bolsonaro (third from right) participate in election debates in São Paulo, Brazil, on Aug. 28.
Former Brazilian President Lula Lula, a left-wing candidate who has been far ahead in the polls, put on a bulletproof vest. He was scheduled to speak at an engine factory on Aug. 16, but police asked him to cancel the event for safety reasons. Lula turned to the industrial city of San Bernardo Campo near São Paulo to launch his seventh presidential campaign at the Volkswagen plant. In the 1970s, he rose to prominence there as a union leader.
Bolsonaro also returned to his hometown of Joyce-Defora. During the 2018 election campaign, he was assassinated here, stabbed in multiple places in the abdomen, and nearly died. Now, surrounded by security guards, Bolsonaro is on the scene wearing a bulletproof vest and riding a motorcycle to receive cheers from supporters.
On August 24, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Bolsonaro attended a motorcade rally on Liberty Avenue to build momentum for re-election.
Cleomar de Sousa, founder of Brazilian political risk consulting firm Dharma Politics, told The Associated Press that the locations visited by both politicians were full of symbolism. He expects candidates to attack each other more rather than present constructive plans to voters.
"I hope this election ends as soon as possible and Lula wins, so that the risk of violence is reduced and people will talk more about the future." Van der Ray Claudio, a metalworks worker, told The Associated Press.
Bolsonaro was assassinated in 2018, but the recent situation raises concerns that the person who launched the attack this year is more likely to be his supporter. Earlier this year, his supporters surrounded Lula's car and insulted him. In July, a supporter of Bolsonaro killed an official of Lula's Brazilian Labor Party.
At a ceremony at the Palazzo Praalto, Brasilia, Brazil, on August 23, the Bolsonaros stand by a container containing the heart of Pedro I, the founder of the Brazilian Empire. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of independence, Brazil "welcomed back" the heart of the first emperor from Portugal and put it on public display.
Lula's supporters have also been targeted. At a rally in June, a drone sprayed a foul-smelling liquid onto the crowd. At a rally in July, a man detonated homemade explosives containing feces. The Associated Press said information on social media showed that the attackers in both cases supported Bolsonaro.
More worryingly, the pro-gun Bolsonaro recently eased gun control measures, enabling his supporters to stock up on guns and ammunition. At the campaign launch ceremony on July 24, he asked supporters to swear that "lives will be sacrificed for freedom" and has repeatedly described the campaign as a battle of good against evil. His wife, Michel Bolsonaro, said at that event that before her husband took office, the Brazilian presidential palace was "dedicated to the devil."
In San Bernardo Campo, Lula cited the failures of the Bolsonaro government during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a survey by the Brazilian Senate, Brazil has the second highest number of COVID-19 deaths in the world.
"If anyone is possessed by the devil, it's Bolsonaro." Lula said.
Image source Visual China
Source: China Youth Daily client