Brazil candidates step up efforts as election nears
Presidential candidates travelled to the northeast part of Brazil, seeking votes ahead of the final round of elections at the end of October, less than 20 days away.
Presidential candidates travelled to the northeast part of Brazil, seeking votes ahead of the final round of elections at the end of October, less than 20 days away.
President Jair Bolsonaro greeted fans in Recife, a Workers Party stronghold, then met with local evangelical pastors and leaders.
Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva rallied in two capital cities, Aracaju and Maceió, parading alongside local political figures surrounded by supporters through the city streets.
The northeast region has nine of the 14 states that Lula won in the first round.
With 42.3 million votes, it is the second largest region by population, only surpassed by the southeast of Brazil, with 66.7 million voters.
After the first round, Bolsonaro said during a live stream on his social media that in the northeast, “Not only the high illiteracy rate is high in these states. Other economic stats are also inferior in that region”.
The leftist Workers’ Party candidate came close to an outright victory on Sunday, receiving over 48% of the votes.
Far-right Bolsonaro got 43%. Since the election, the two men have been on a hunt for support across Brazil and the political spectrum.