Haddad and Bolsonaro Campaign with 13 Days Left Until Elections in Brazil

By Jay Forte, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – With just thirteen days remaining in the second round of elections, candidates for the Presidency of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro (PSL) and Fernando Haddad (PT) intensify the campaigning, but continue to follow different approaches.

According to Agencia Brasil, Bolsonaro is waiting for Wednesday (October 17th) to define his travel itinerary and any debates or interviews.

Haddad will be on the trail today (October 15th) at campaign rallies and granting interviews. Today Haddad will be in São Paulo, participating in an assembly for teachers, in commemoration of the Dia do Professor (Teacher’s Day) holiday.

At the same time, his vice president running mate, Manuela d’Avila (PCdoB) will be in another event in Porto Alegre. Throughout the day, the PT candidate is giving interviews to the press.

In the first opinion poll since this October 7th first round voting, controversial presidential candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, leads his leftist challenger, Fernando Haddad, 58 percent to 42 percent.

On Thursday (October 18th), Bolsonaro will be examined by a medical board. According to him, the results of the medical checkup following his September 6th stabbing will define the participation in debates and travel. He did not release official agenda as of yet.

However on Saturday (October 13th) he messaged by social networks that, if elected, he will promote a great cultural transformation in the country, “where impunity, corruption and crime will not be bad associated with our national identity.”

“The law and the constitution shall be our instruments. The Justice will be independent and should speed up the punishment of the guilty! This is Brazil that together we can build. A country that respects its citizens and is respected by them and around the world,” said the candidate.

Meanwhile at a event in São Paulo Haddad spoke in support of the Minha Casa, Minha Vida program, and once again said that he intends to strengthen internal control mechanisms in public and state bodies.

“The Ministry [of Education] that I had been running for almost seven years had a very strong controller, so we had no cases of corruption in the ministry, which had a R$100 billion budget.”

He says Brazil has lacked control in federal agencies. “Directors have been released to promote corruption and to enrich themselves,” he said. He also said that he believes that mistakes made by PT leaders should be judged, provided that the right to ample defense is guaranteed, and “if one concludes that someone has got rich, they have to go to jail.”