Key facts
- Brazil's presidential election is scheduled for October 4.
- Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, is campaigning in Minas Gerais.
- Recent polls show Flávio Bolsonaro and incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva neck-and-neck.
- Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in jail for spearheading a botched coup attempt after losing the 2022 election.
- Flávio Bolsonaro pledged to appoint five conservative judges to Brazil's supreme court.
- Flávio Bolsonaro vowed to lower the age of criminal responsibility and introduce chemical castration for rapists.
Brazil is heading into a closely contested presidential election on October 4, with the race between incumbent leftwing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the incarcerated former president Jair Bolsonaro, appearing to be on a knife-edge. Flávio Bolsonaro is actively campaigning in the crucial state of Minas Gerais, aiming to capitalize on recent momentum attributed to corruption scandals involving Lula's son and the supreme court.
Supporters gathered to welcome Flávio Bolsonaro in Juiz de Fora, a city with historical ties to Brazil's hard right. Many expressed hope for a return to the policies of Jair Bolsonaro, who received a 27-year jail sentence for a botched coup attempt after losing the 2022 election. His supporters believe he and his accomplices could be freed if his son wins power.
Flávio Bolsonaro has pledged a zero-tolerance approach to crime, potentially loosening gun laws, and vowed to appoint five conservative judges to the supreme court. He also proposed lowering the age of criminal responsibility and introducing chemical castration for rapists. These proposals were met with enthusiasm by his supporters.
Minas Gerais is considered a bellwether state, with no candidate having won the presidency without triumphing there since democracy returned in the 1980s. Flávio Bolsonaro expressed confidence in winning the state, contrasting his vision with Lula's as representing the past. Political analyst Thomas Traumann described the election as a "coin flip," susceptible to unexpected scandals.
Adding to the campaign's complexity, Flávio Bolsonaro was recently placed under police investigation over suspicions of corruption related to the funding of a biopic about the assassination attempt on his father.