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RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets on Saturday to protest the presidential candidate, a far-right member whose campaign revealed and reinforced divisions in the country's largest country. 39 Latin America.
At a festive rally in downtown Rio de Janeiro, protesters danced, sang and shouted: "Not him!" The sentence was the rallying cry of groups trying to prevent Jair Bolsonaro from taking office in the October elections.
According to police estimates, about 7,000 people also gathered in the capital of Brasilia to denounce the candidate. A handful of rallies to support him were also planned for the weekend.
Bolsonaro is currently conducting polls with about 28% of support among polled voters, but it also has the highest rejection rate among all candidates. This could become particularly important if no one wins the majority of votes on October 7 and the election is decided in the second round. The polls then show that he is losing in most scenarios.
His support is particularly weak among women, who led demonstrations against him on Saturday, even though men and children were also present. According to a recent poll by Ibope, 36% of men surveyed said they would vote for Bolsonaro, while only 18% of women supported it, which is an unusual gap.
The difference in support between men and women for the other candidates varies only by a few percentage points.
The survey was conducted between September 22nd and 24th and has a 2 percentage point margin of error.
Brazil is experiencing a moment of intense and unusual polarization after a few tumultuous years. He went through a deep recession, a prolonged investigation into corruption that ravaged the political class and impeachment of his first female president after highly contentious proceedings.
As a result, this year's elections are among the most unpredictable and hottest in years.
The protests take place on the same day that Bolsonaro was released from the hospital after being stabbed on September 6 at a rally for the campaign. He has undergone surgeries to repair the damage done to his intestines and curb severe internal bleeding, although we still do not know when or where he will return to the countryside.
But his campaign has both benefited from the political divide and contributed to the political divide by focusing on issues of cultural warfare and "traditional" family values.
Bolsonaro has long been known for his offensive comments about homosexuals, women, and blacks, and he did not temper his speeches during the campaign. He also continued to praise the Brazilian military dictatorship in two decades and promised to give the police permission to shoot first and ask questions later.
In response, many Brazilians have vowed to support anyone he meets in the second round.
At the same time, her "tell me as she is" attitude has found momentum among voters who are angry with the political establishment.
Despite his decades in Congress, some see the candidate as an outsider who can rid Brazil of corruption and high crime rates.
