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São Paulo (AFP) – Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva said Monday that he hopes Jair Bolsonaro will accept the result of the polls if he is defeated in the presidential ballot next Sunday.
“I hope that if I win the elections, (Bolsonaro) has a moment of sanity and calls me to accept the results of the elections,” said ‘Lula’ at a press conference in São Paulo.
“I lost three elections. Every time I lost, I went home. I didn’t keep insulting, nervous,” added the candidate of the Workers’ Party (PT).
Far-right leader Bolsonaro has repeatedly questioned Brazil’s electronic voting system and threatened not to accept the result.
However, in recent weeks he has toned down his comments, in an attempt to woo undecided voters.
With six days to go before the Oct. 30 vote, the veteran leftist and his far-right rival are battling to win over undecided voters in an extremely close race.
‘Lula’, who already governed Brazil between 2003 and 2010, has 50% of the valid votes for the second round, compared to 43% for Bolsonaro, according to a survey published by the IPEC institute.
The opponents will have a final face-to-face debate on Friday.
“The strategy of any candidate is first to try to convince people who did not vote for whatever reason to show up and vote,” said ‘Lula’, when asked about the search for those who abstained in the first round on October 2.
“This election will define whether we want to live in democracy or under barbarism or neofascism. That is what is at stake. I hope that people choose democracy,” he said.
Brazil has been the subject of a polarized and aggressive electoral campaign, marked by insults and disinformation from both sides.
Bolsonaro is seeking a second term after four years in which he was criticized for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and a series of controversial statements about women, the press, minorities and ongoing clashes with the supreme court.
For his part, ‘Lula’ is seeking a return to power after spending 18 months in jail serving charges of corruption, in proceedings later annulled, stemming from the investigation into a massive bribery scheme at the state oil company Petrobras.
‘Lula’ had reached the first round as the clear favorite, however, Bolsonaro performed better than the polls suggested, with 43% of the vote, compared to 48% for Lula.
