Brazil elections 2022: Bolsonaro says he will only attend debates in the second round

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro (Liberal Party – PL) said he should not participate in electoral debates in the first round of elections. He stated in an interview with host Carlos Massa, known as Ratinho, on Rede Massa FM.

“In the second round, I will participate; if I go [to the second round]. I should go, right? Then I will participate. In the first round, we think. Why? If I go, the ten candidates will want to beat me all the time,” said the Chief of Executive.

The Planalto Palace did not inform the date when the interview was recorded.

“The debate had to be with pre-arranged questions with the people in charge so as not to lower the level,” the president declared in the interview.

Bolsonaro also talked about the integrity of the electronic ballot boxes, Rouanet Law, the role of the Armed Forces in the electoral process, and answered about the former governor João Doria (PSDB) and former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers’ Pary – PT).

According to the president, some artists are “angry” with his government because of the cuts in transfers in the Rouanet Law.

“We prioritize artists at the beginning of their careers, the most humble country artists, and obviously, the best-known artists were and are outraged,” he said.

Bolsonaro said that João Doria’s withdrawal made no difference in the race for the Palácio do Planalto.

“He was at 1%. The voter decides. It’s polarized. We will hardly have a third way. Doria’s voters decide between Lula da Silva and me”. The Chief Executive again said he doesn’t believe in electoral polls: “There is some interest in all this”.

ELECTRONIC BALLOT BOXES

Ratinho asked the president if he was “afraid” of losing the elections. Bolsonaro replied:

“I’m not sure about the electronic ballot box. I don’t trust the electronic ballot box and, like a large part of the population, I understand that TSE [Superior Electoral Court] shouldn’t be fighting me, saying that I want to interfere and attack Brazil’s democracy.”

About Petrobras, Bolsonaro said again that he would study “slicing” the oil company in a possible second mandate. He did not give more details.

“It is an idea to slice up Petrobras. It is not really working right now. I even call it the Petrobras Football Club. There, despite the social character of the Constitution, it does not apply. It has phenomenal profits.

With information from Poder360