Bolsonaro denounces election campaign censorship, calls Lula da Silva “head of criminal organization”

On Saturday, October 22, the president of Brazil and candidate for reelection, Jair Bolsonaro, charged against his rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whom he has called “head of a criminal organization”.

“Yesterday, I arrived at the Saturday show (on SBT public television), and since the thief has fled, the head of the criminal organization has decided not to come… we did show up,” Bolsonaro said during an event in Guarulhos, São Paulo.

Bolsonaro has also criticized the “censorship” of the electoral authorities who have vetoed content in his campaign and has promised that if he is reelected, no media will be “reached by censorship”.

“Today, the water reaches the waist of the entire Brazilian press. We cannot let that continue. The press must have freedom, even to make mistakes. A silent press is the worst thing to happen to democracy,” he added.

Meanwhile, Lula da Silva has starred in a campaign rally in Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais, and has repeatedly described Bolsonaro’s government as “fascist”, who “encourages episodes of political violence” with “inhuman” behavior, “destroyer of dreams”.

Da Silva and Bolsonaro face each other on October 30 in the runoff presidential elections. In the first round, held on October 2, Lula da Silva won 48 percent of the vote to Bolsonaro’s 41 percent after one of the most polarized campaigns in Brazil’s history.

More than 150 million Brazilians will have to go to the polls to reelect Jair Bolsonaro as president or return da Silva to power.

A runoff for governors will also be held in 12 of the 27 states. In the remaining 15, governors (elected by an absolute majority on October 2) are turning to campaign for their favorite presidential candidates. And the majority (9) are with Jair Bolsonaro.

With information from Gaceta