President Jair Bolsonaro officially kicked off his reelection campaign on Sunday, rallying thousands of his followers to Rio de Janeiro after intensifying his attempts to discredit Brazil’s voting system.
Bolsonaro called on the government faithful to pack an Olympic arena in a working-class neighborhood for an event billed as “United for the Good of Brazil.” For over an hour, he delivered a speech that catered to his base — embracing traditional family values and attacking his main opponent, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
“Today Brazil has a president who believes in God, who defends police and soldiers, who defends families,” he said, after claiming Lula wants to legalize drugs and abortion. “That’s not someone who wants the good of his people.”
