Presidential election in Brazil: Flavio Bolsonaro receives the support of Augusto Cury, candidate who came third in the first round

Conservative candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, favorite in the presidential election in Brazil against outgoing head of state Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, obtained the support on Thursday of the candidate who came third in the first round, Augusto Cury. “My support is not a blank check,” warned Augusto Cury, who received nearly 3% of the vote on Sunday, in a press release. Flavio Bolsonaro came in first with 47% of the votes, against 45% for Lula, before the second round scheduled for October 25.

Augusto Cury, a popular 68-year-old writer and psychiatrist, ran as a centrist during his campaign. Like him, first round candidates Ronaldo Caiado and Romeu Zema said they supported Flavio Bolsonaro. Between them, they totaled 5.34% of the votes on Sunday. The candidate who came 4th, Renan Santos (2.24%), refused to support anyone.

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A poll gives him the victory

While Flavio Bolsonaro focuses on political alliances, Lula seeks to invest in social networks to win a fourth term. A poll from the Datafolha institute published this Thursday credits the conservative with 52% of the vote against 48% for the outgoing president, with a margin of error of two percentage points. “I don’t take polls into account, I don’t work like that. I work knowing that I need to have more votes than Flavio to win the election. I have 17 days for that,” Lula assured Thursday during a press conference.

If Flavio Bolsonaro is elected, he will benefit from a Parliament leaning strongly to the right. He promises greater budgetary rigor, tax cuts and less government. He also committed to a firmer fight against rampant insecurity. For his part, Lula highlights his social programs and the defense of sovereignty in the face of pressure from Donald Trump. He hopes to attract the approximately 21% of abstainers and the voters who voted blank, in this country where voting is compulsory between 18 and 70 years of age.