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How Brazil’s presidential candidates wrapped up the weekend and Friday
The campaign featured rallies, walks, interviews, TV recordings and meetings, with debate centered on the Supreme Court, Banco Master, public security, corruption and youth proposals. Agência Brasil also reviewed part of Friday’s activity.
Brazil’s presidential race mixed campaign rallies, street walks, meetings, interviews and television recordings over the weekend. According to Agência Brasil, the main issues on candidates’ agendas included the investigations involving Banco Master, the role of the Supreme Federal Court, public security, corruption and proposals aimed at young voters.
On Saturday in Curitiba, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva again criticized the Supreme Federal Court over what he described as selective leaks of investigations for electoral purposes. He also addressed the decision to lift secrecy on proceedings tied to Banco Master and said the full case file should be opened so responsibilities can be identified. During the event, he also cited reports on ties between companies linked to Flávio Bolsonaro and Antônio Carlos Camilo Antunes, known as Careca do INSS, who is under investigation for alleged fraud involving retirees and pensioners. Lula also said his government had advanced investigations into fraud at the National Social Security Institute and stated that arrests, asset seizures and repayments to victims had taken place. He had no public events on Sunday during the day, and in the evening joined an online meeting with supporters and communicators to close a nationwide mobilization in his favor.
Augusto Cury campaigned in São Paulo on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, he was in Barueri for a meeting with doctors. On Sunday, he walked through São Paulo’s Municipal Market, presented proposals to merchants and visitors, and criticized corruption cases and recent developments involving the Supreme Court. He also presented himself as an alternative to traditional politics and defended support measures for indebted families. Later, he recorded television programs and took part in a youth event at the Interlagos racetrack.
Clariana Barão had no official campaign commitments on Sunday and, according to Agência Brasil, there was also no public schedule reported for her over the weekend. The same applied to other candidates for whom no public activity was reported.
Flávio Bolsonaro campaigned on Saturday in Cabo Frio, Magé, Campos dos Goytacazes and Itaperuna, all in Rio de Janeiro state. He highlighted proposals aimed at young people, including the possibility of obtaining a driver’s license from age 16, entrepreneurship programs and lowering the age of criminal responsibility in certain cases. In Cabo Frio, he defended loosening environmental rules to make it easier for large projects to move forward, arguing that this could boost tourism and job creation. He also said that, if elected, he would nominate to the Supreme Court justices opposed to abortion and drugs and committed to respecting the Constitution. He further reiterated support for pardoning those convicted over the Jan. 8, 2023 attempted coup, increasing penalties for violent crimes and imposing chemical castration on those convicted of rape and abuse against women and children. His Sunday schedule in cities in São Paulo state’s interior was canceled because of heavy rain.
Hertz Dias had no public campaign events on Sunday. Agência Brasil reported that on Saturday he had been in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, in Pernambuco, where he gave an interview to Projeção FM radio and took part in leaflet distribution.
Ronaldo Caiado was discharged on Sunday from Vila Nova Star Hospital in São Paulo, where he had been hospitalized since Thursday after being diagnosed with pneumonia. No public campaign events were announced for him over the weekend.
Wilson Grassi held a meeting with his planning team in São Paulo on Sunday.
In its review of Friday, Agência Brasil reported that Lula took part in an event in Porto Alegre where he defended expanding full-time schooling across the country. Renan Santos appeared in interviews and recordings for different media outlets and visited the São Paulo Book Biennial. Romeu Zema campaigned in Fortaleza, where he spoke with residents about public security and argued that criminal gangs should be classified as terrorist organizations in order to widen the state’s response.
That same Friday, Caiado remained hospitalized with pneumonia. Rui Costa Pimenta and Samara Martins had no public campaign schedule. Grassi met with his campaign team and delivered a talk in São Paulo. Cury recorded an interview for Record and took part in a televised Q&A on SBT in Osasco. Edmilson Costa gave an interview to a podcast run by the National Association of Port Workers in Santos. Flávio Bolsonaro was in Manaus, where he visited a motorcycle factory, joined a motorcade and defended the importance of the Manaus Free Trade Zone and the use of natural resources such as natural gas. Hertz Dias again appeared in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, where he called for more funding for public health, public housing and other essential areas.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
