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SÃO PAULO – Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil, was in a serious but stable situation on Friday, recovering from a near-fatal stab in forecasts that the attack would raise his stance and heighten tensions during the weekend. most uncertain vote. in years.
"I'm fine and I'm doing better," he posted on Twitter Friday, a day after being attacked with a knife during a campaign in the state of Minas Gerais (southeast) . The video of the attack was shared on social networks.
After emergency surgery to repair the perforations of his intestines and abdominal vein in a local hospital, he was transferred Friday to the Albert Einstein hospital in São Paulo.
Bolsonaro, a former army captain, is a deeply polarizing figure, both the most popular and dissatisfied candidate in a presidential race that remains fragmented a few weeks before the Oct. 7 vote.
His supporters believe that he is the only candidate to deal with rampant political corruption and what they view as out-of-control violence. Many others despise him for his virulent attacks against minorities, which led him to be accused by the Attorney General of Brazil of inciting hatred against blacks, women and homosexuals.
Mr. Bolsonaro's injuries may require him to sit in the hospital for the next week or two, but it was generally agreed on Friday that the attack was likely to extend his lead.
"It plays directly into his message: the security issues, the violence and the need to solve these problems," said Monica de Bolle, director of Latin American Studies at Johns Hopkins University. "There are still a lot of undecided voters. It may be that many of them now say that "Bolsonaro is our guy".
After being mistreated by a video posted on social media, Bolsonaro thanked God and the medical staff for saving his life.
"I have prepared for a moment like this because you are at risk," he said before asking, "Are human beings so bad? I have never done anything wrong to anyone.
The attack has already blurred the strategy of his opponents, who condemned the violence, canceled solidarity demonstrations and shot ads targeting Mr. Bolsonaro.
This is the second significant shock to the presidential campaign. A week ago, candidates had to adapt their plans after former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, then in inadmissible because of his conviction for bribery.
Coverage of the end-to-end attack and interviews with two of Bolsonaro's sons, who are also running for election, have already significantly increased his television presence in prime time. This will offset his 15 seconds of free televised campaign time and his low share in public campaign funding, resulting both from his inability to form alliances with major political parties.
A suspect in the attack, Adélio Bispo de Oliveira, was arrested on scene Thursday. Police said they thought he could be mentally unstable, but the fact that he belonged to the left-wing party of the PSOL for seven years until 2014 fueled speculation by supporters of Bolsonaro about a conspiracy. .
"This guy did not act alone," said his son, Flávio Bolsonaro, in a video posted on Facebook. "He was not crazy, as some media do. It seems that it was very premeditated.
Many Brazilians see 63-year-old Bolsonaro as a kind of Brazilian asset – a political outsider who pulls his hip. He wants to facilitate the possession of firearms and easier for the police to shoot criminals.
A former paratrooper, he entered the political circle in 1993 when, as a new elected MP, he called for a return to military rule by declaring: "I am in favor of a dictatorship".
Until recently, he was widely regarded as a marginal member of Congress. But with a The scandal of corruption in the country's traditional political establishment, its independence from traditional parties, and its unorthodox views have allowed it to be openly critical of the system and largely follow social media.
Although Bolsonaro seems to be ahead in the campaign, a survey conducted before the attack showed that his support was well below the 50% needed to avoid a second round. He led the pack with 22% of the voters' support, while his closest rivals were tied at 12%, according to the poll released Wednesday. Many Brazilians were undecided: 38% did not choose a candidate.
Night in Flávio Bolsonaro A picture from his father raising his thumb from a hospital bed. He seemed convinced that his father would be even closer to victory.
"Jair Bolsonaro is stronger than ever and ready to be elected president of Brazil in the first round!", He has posted on Twitter.
Brazilian markets rose after the attack, with investors also betting that voters will now rally to a candidate they consider to be more supportive of the market than many of its rivals.
But the concern grew that competing political camps could launch verbal attacks at a delicate moment for Brazilian democracy, which emerged from two decades of military dictatorship in the mid-1980s.
"The next few days should be used by the campaigns, including those of Jair Bolsonaro, to calmly reflect on the next steps," said Míriam Leitão, columnist for O Globo.
The stabbing was only the last example of the violence that shook Brazilian politics. Rio de Janeiro city councilor Marielle Franco was killed on 14 March after assailants shot her car. A few days later, buses participating in a field caravan with Mr. da Silva were shot in southern Brazil.
"If the answer is more radical, the climate will worsen and become more dangerous in the weeks that separate us from the polls," wrote Leitão.
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