Brazilian right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro received the endorsement of third-place finisher Augusto Cury on Thursday, a move aimed at consolidating votes ahead of the runoff against incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Cury, who captured nearly three percent of the vote in Sunday’s first round compared to Bolsonaro’s 47 percent and Lula’s 45 percent, cautioned that his backing would not be unconditional. “My support is not a blank check,” Cury stated in a formal declaration following the announcement.
The endorsement comes as Bolsonaro holds a slight edge in recent polling. A Datafolha survey released Thursday indicated the senator leading with 52 percent of voter intent, while Lula sat at 48 percent. This follows a first-round result where Bolsonaro exceeded the incumbent by approximately 2.2 million votes, a surprising outcome that defied earlier opinion forecasts.
Bolsonaro, 45, is the eldest son of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently under house arrest accused of plotting a coup d’état after losing the 2022 election. The younger Bolsonaro is leveraging his political alliances as the campaign enters its final stretch.
President Lula, 81, downplayed the significance of the polls during a press conference on Thursday, emphasizing that he does not base his work on public opinion data. “I have 17 days to do that,” Lula said, referring to the need to secure more votes than his rival. In response, Lula has intensified his activity on social media platforms where the right wing traditionally holds an advantage.
Tensions remain high as thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Sao Paulo and other cities on Thursday to protest against the potential return of the far right to power, following similar marches in Rio de Janeiro the previous day.
Renan Santos, the fourth-place candidate who received 2.6 million votes, has declined to throw his support behind either leading contender.
The protests in Sao Paulo show how divided Brazil still is. Scary times.
Renan sitting on the fence is interesting. He could decide the whole election.
Cury saying it’s not a blank check is smart. voters are tired of empty promises.
Wait, the former president is under house arrest for coup plotting? That context changes everything.
Lula ignoring the polls seems risky. Did he really say he has 17 days to fix this?
Finally, some momentum for Flavio. The runoff is going to be fierce.