The former Brazilian president and favorite to win the elections on October 2, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvacriticized this Wednesday the use of religion to do politics and denied that he is going to have a speech aimed at evangelical voters, a group in which President Jair Bolsonaro leads in public opinion polls, because he does not intend to make a “war saint” in the country.
In an interview with Rádio Super de Minas Gerais, the candidate of the Workers’ Party (PT) also returned to condemn spreading false information against you by the Bolsonarista campaign, which claims that Lula will close the churches if he wins.
“I am not the candidate of a religious faction, I am the candidate of the Brazilian people. I want to treat evangelicals equally as well as Catholics, Muslims, Jews… that is, I want to treat all religions in the same way.” including African ones. I want to treat all religions based on the respect with which they should be treated. I don’t want there to be a holy war in this country,” Lula said.
He also pointed out that religions exist “to take care of people’s faith and spirituality” and not to engage in politics. “I do not campaign religiously, I campaign politically respecting religion, and I do not use the name of God in vain, as some people out there do”he added.
This Tuesday, during the speech in San Bernardo do Campo that marked the official start of the electoral campaign, Lula refuted false claims that he will close Iglesias if he is president and accused Bolsonaro of trying to manipulate the people.
Bolsonaro, who like Lula is Catholic, has increasingly attended evangelical events in various parts of the country. Even her wife Michelle Bolsonaro, a fervent evangelist, adopted a messianic tone by assuring in a recent speech that her husband’s electoral campaign “It is a miracle of God”, because “those who preach love and peace attack him, but God is greater and the justice of the Lord will be done”said.
This Tuesday, the first day of the campaign, the religious was in the speeches of Bolsonaro and Lula. The president suggested that if he loses the election, it will no longer be possible to talk about God; while Lula maintained that Bolsonaro this “possessed by the devil“.
A survey carried out by the consulting firm Genial Quaest released this Wednesday showed Bolsonaro ahead of Lula among evangelicals, 52% to 28%. In the first consultation, held on March 22, the current president had 35% and the former president, 34%.
PT digital strategy
Federal deputy André Janones, who withdrew his presidential candidacy for Avante to support Lula, launched a new strategy to try to attract the attention of the religious segment of the electorate. The task was assigned to the parliamentarian, who is evangelical and has a significant presence on social networks.
Janones launched a slogan in favor of the PT, and asks his followers to make “the image reach the four corners of the country, through all the networks.” The publication shows a photo of President Bolsonaro in the dark and another of Lula, illuminated and smiling. The photo is accompanied by the words: “Bolsonaro uses God. God uses Lula!”.
The evangelical vote is a prized prize in Brazilian politics. In April, Lula defined abortion as a “right for everyone”, but su campaign command moved quickly to lower the profile of that position. After those statements, quickly viralized by some Bolsonarista militias always ready to win the loyalty of their conservative baseLula has not mentioned the issue again in his campaign events.