BRASILIA, Brazil — Jair Bolsonaro emerged from the first round of Brazil’s presidential election with unusually soft rhetoric, touting good economic news in a sign that he has started listening to advisers and avoiding controversial topics in a bid to win over moderate voters.
The usually combative leader, who came in second in the Oct. 2 vote but with a much stronger performance than major pollsters had anticipated, has refrained from alleging voter fraud as many feared, and even acknowledged that loss of purchasing power during the pandemic probably boosted support for his leftist challenger, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
As both men gear up for an election runoff on Oct. 30, Bolsonaro’s measured words are part of a strategy designed by campaign managers who for months have been trying to convince him that casting doubt on the country’s electronic ballots cost him precious votes, according to three political advisers who asked not to be named discussing internal plans.
