Bolsonaro mobilizes his followers on the occasion of the bicentennial of independence

First modification: 09/08/2022 – 10:56Last modification: 09/08/2022 – 11:25

With our correspondents Marcos Moreno and Sarah Cozzolino.

Less than a month before the elections in Brazil, its current president, Jair Bolsonaro, turned the bicentennial of Brazil’s independence into a political act in his favor.

In Brasilia he did not appear on the stage with the presidents of the Chambers and the Federal Supreme Court, but with Luciano Hang, the businessman who just a week ago was the target of a judicial operation for exchanging messages with other businessmen in favor of a coup in the country.

And in Rio de Janeiro, the far-right leader has tried to turn the commemorations into a show of force with military parades and mass demonstrations.

Lula “is a thief”

Among the human tide of green and yellow, Gustavo arrived with his wife and their children, ages 7 and 11. “It is a very important political moment, so we wanted to participate. We are going to vote for Bolsonaro in the hope that Lula does not win the elections because he is a thief. That is why we are here,” he explains.

No great speech on the anniversary of Brazil’s independence. Jair Bolsonaro preferred to mobilize his electorate by attacking his main opponent, Lula. For Luciano, with the return of the left, the threat of communism hangs over the country. “We want freedom, respect for the family. You just have to look at Venezuela or Argentina… If we let this happen, the same thing will happen here, chaos. And we don’t want that for our children,” he defends.

“I think he will continue to defend what I am representing here today, the family, the Brazilian agricultural business,” says one of his followers.

“A great cleaning”

“I remember that in 1964 the military took to the streets. At that time, it was to fight against a communist power, like the one that threatens us today. There was no dictatorship, do you know what there was? A great cleansing in this country! “, Carlos remembers nostalgically.

“The previous government of Lula was very corrupt, it was a government that stole a lot of money, so we are all here for Bolsonaro,” emphasizes another of his supporters.

Bolsonaro appears with a 32% vote intention for the October 2 elections. Former President Lula da Silva leads the polls with 45%, an insufficient percentage to avoid a second round.

Attacks on the governments of Venezuela, Argentina, Nicaragua or Chile as well as on the opposition Lula da Silva have been the protagonists of Bolsonaro’s speech. On the asphalt there were banners attacking the judiciary and the electoral system of electronic ballot boxes in force in Brazil since 1996.