Brazil’s Presidential Election

Lula’s final move: Squats and social media assistance

Brazil’s incumbent president, Lula da Silva, has adjusted his campaign strategy after receiving less support than Flávio Bolsonaro in the first round, reports AFP ahead of Sunday’s decisive vote.

The left-wing politician has, among other things, performed squats and gone for runs to demonstrate to voters that his 81-year-old body is still holding up. With the help of younger colleagues, he has also posted his first selfie-style videos on social media—a tactic Bolsonaro has been using for months.

Leading up to the first round, the campaign focused primarily on Lula da Silva’s life story—a narrative that observers suggest is not what voters want to hear.

Battle over forests fuels strong support for Bolsonaro in the Amazon

The small town of Novo Progresso, on the edge of the Amazon, finds itself at the center of attention ahead of this weekend’s presidential election in Brazil, reports Bloomberg. Support for the conservative Flávio Bolsonaro is immense there, with his backers hoping for more than 90 percent of the vote on Sunday.

Residents are critical of President Lula da Silva’s ambitions to halt deforestation, arguing that such measures deal a severe economic blow to families who own forest land in the area. Lula maintains that Brazil has made commitments under the Paris Agreement, and notes that deforestation accounts for the largest share of the country’s carbon emissions.

In the first round, Bolsonaro—who has questioned whether human activity causes climate change—received just over 84 percent of the vote in the town.