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Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro Launch Presidential Campaigns Amid Technical Tie

3 sources across 2 countries · Brazil · Qatar · 1 of them is linked to a state

Who reported this

  • Agencia Publica Brazil · Left · Non-profit, grant funded
  • Folha de S.Paulo Brazil · Centre · Grupo Folha (Frias family)
  • Al Jazeera Qatar · Centre-left · State-affiliated · Qatari government funded

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

President Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro have officially launched their campaigns for the Brazilian presidency. A new BTG/Nexus poll released Monday shows the two candidates in a technical tie for the second round, with Lula at 47 percent and Flávio Bolsonaro at 44 percent. In a first round simulation, Lula holds 41 percent while Flávio Bolsonaro holds 36 percent. Other candidates include Ronaldo Caiado at 5 percent, Renan Santos at 4 percent, and Romeu Zema at 4 percent.

Lula began his campaign in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, where he promised to create a Ministry of Public Security, expand full time schools, and invest in industry. He intends to maintain his official presidential agenda during the campaign to contrast his experience with the inexperience of his opponent. Meanwhile, Flávio Bolsonaro launched his bid in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, where he criticized the Lula government and the Supreme Federal Court. His campaign strategy includes associating himself with the image of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Digital monitoring indicates that Lula dominated the volume of mentions on WhatsApp, Instagram, and X. However, sentiment varies by platform. On X, Renan Santos saw the highest proportion of support, while Lula faced a split of positive and negative mentions. On WhatsApp, Flávio Bolsonaro was the least rejected candidate among those mentioned. Additionally, the Superior Electoral Court is set to discuss rules regarding the use of deepfakes and artificial intelligence in campaigns following a video from the PL party that used an AI avatar of Jair Bolsonaro.

Legal and political challenges also feature in the race. Lula is facing opposition attacks regarding three Federal Police investigations into his son, Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, for suspected influence peddling. Lula has stated he believes in his son's innocence but supports the continuation of the investigations.

How each side framed it

Left
Emphasized the logistical schedule of the candidates, the role of the electoral court, and broader legal discussions regarding internet data and AI.
Centre-left
Briefly noted the official start of the rival bids for the presidency.
Centre
Focused on polling data, social media metrics, and the strategic contrast between the candidates' experience and backgrounds.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.