The campaign of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva released a video on Sunday (Sept 6), the eve of Brazil's Independence Day, that contrasts his statements with those of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, his main rival in the presidential race, about the United States. The video arrives one month before the first round of the election, set for October 4, and after polls showed the race tightening.
According to O Globo, the polls have caused concern inside the campaign of Lula's Workers' Party (PT). A Datafolha survey released on Friday (Sept 4) showed a technical tie in a runoff: 46% for Lula and 44% for Flávio Bolsonaro, within the two-point margin of error. On Sunday, the institute Veritá put the senator ahead in a runoff, 48.5% to 43.1%, and showed a statistical tie in the first round, 38.9% to 38.4%, CNN Brasil reported. Veritá heard 3,804 voters between Sept 1 and 4. Flávio Bolsonaro, of the right-wing PL party, is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
The campaign video
A narrator opens the video, described by O Globo, by saying: "This year you will choose between two sides". The statements then alternate. Flávio Bolsonaro says "the tariff will reach Brazil". Lula answers: "They are traitors to the homeland. History will not forgive them". The video also includes Eduardo Bolsonaro, Flávio's brother and a former federal lawmaker stripped of his seat, praising the American payment app Zelle: "The Pix of the United States is Zelle. So you can go to a negotiating table with the Americans".
Lula responds with a line about the instant payment system created by Brazil's central bank: "Pix belongs to Brazil, it is public, it is free and it will stay that way". Then comes a statement by Flávio on US President Donald Trump: "We are in no position to demand anything from the Trump government. He will do whatever he wants, regardless of our will". The president replies: "Nobody has to be afraid of anything because we are not going to bow our heads". At the end, Flávio says in English "God bless America", and Lula closes with "Long live the Brazilian people".
The defense of national sovereignty is one of the main themes of Lula's campaign, according to O Globo. In the post that carries the video, the president wrote:
"Tomorrow is September 7, Brazil's Independence Day. A fundamental day to remember that this year your vote defines whether we will have a Brazil that stands up to protect the nation or a country that makes itself small before other countries."
On Monday (Sept 7), Lula attends the Independence Day parade in Brasília in the morning. Flávio Bolsonaro holds a rally in São Paulo in the afternoon and renews his attacks on Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, according to O Globo. The newspaper and TV Globo will also release a new Quaest poll on the presidential race on Monday. The first round is set for October 4.