Race heats up as candidates fight for crucial evangelical vote

ABOUT two months before Brazil’s presidential election, the main candidates are in a war for the evangelical vote. At a rally launching his campaign this week, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva claimed his opponent, the far-right incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, was “possessed by the devil”.

Bolsonaro’s wife, Michelle, shared a video of Da Silva, who is Christian, at an African-derived religious ritual. The video alleged the former president, commonly called Lula, was connected with “the underworld”. The first lady has said the presidential palace had been “overtaken by demons” by previous administrations, before being consecrated on her husband’s watch.

Polling indicates that Lula has a lead of about 10 points over the incumbent – but his advantage has narrowed in recent months. The former union leader has campaigned on a platform of religious tolerance and said he would stand up for minority practitioners of African-derived religions. Now, he hopes to curry favour among evangelical voters on the fence.

Over the past 20 years, Brazil’s evangelical population has more than doubled. Today, experts estimate around 30% of the country’s 210-plus million people identify as evangelical. That rise is mirrored in Brazilian politics, with a growing evangelical congressional caucus gaining power. Evangelical denominations hold special sway among the poor, with charismatic pastors often instructing congregations on how to vote.

Bolsonaro, a Christian who rose to power on a platform of bringing God and family to the forefront of politics, won the support of 70% of evangelical voters in 2018. But their enthusiasm for the former army captain has weakened in recent years.

Recent opinion polling indicates just under half of evangelical voters approve of his government. For many evangelicals, breaking point came during the coronavirus pandemic.

For months, Bolsonaro shrugged off the severity of the virus as it killed hundreds of thousands of Brazilians, while a recession, rising inflation and steep interest rates battered the country’s poor.

The support of black evangelical women who are economically disadvantaged may be key to any victory, analysts say. “I have no doubt that black evangelical women will decide these elections,” Jacqueline Teixeira, an anthropology professor at the University of São Paulo, told the BBC.

Lula, who led Brazil from 2003 to 2011, was jailed on a corruption conviction that was eventually overturned. His campaign sees this election as an opportunity to win over undecided religious voters. This week, he accused Bolsonaro of using religion for political gain, and of lying to his voters.

“If anyone is possessed by the devil, it’s this Bolsonaro,” Lula told a crowd at a manufacturing plant this week, as he formally began his effort to win the support of the country’s 150 million voters. “He tries to manipulate the faith of evangelical men and women who go to church,” Lula tweeted hours later. “He tells lies every day.”