MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilian president confident he will be reelected Sunday with no runoff

Bolsonaro insists pollsters are wrong

Brazil's incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro Tuesday insisted he would be reelected in next Sunday's first round despite all credible polls forecasting that he would be lucky if he can make it through to a runoff against the former head of state Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva.

“We believe in the Brazilian people,” Bolsonaro told a group of supporters. ”What I have to offer you is exactly the opposite of what the thief (Lula) did for 14 years, we completed three and a half years in the federal government without corruption,” he stressed during rallies in Lula's native State of Pernambuco.

The Liberal Party (PL, right) candidate said he believed he would get over 50% of the valid votes, just as he had said during Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.

A poll by the Ipec agency published late Monday gave Lula, of the Workers' Party (PT, left) 48% of the votes against Bolsonaro's 31%.

However, Bolsonaro insists pollsters are wrong and affirms he has a sufficient majority to win without a runoff. In statements made on Monday, he even hinted he might not recognize Lula's victory while renewing his doubts about the electronic ballot boxes and questioning the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).

He also argued once again in favor of the Armed Forces being involved more actively in the supervision of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) and defended the use of paper ballots instead of the current electronic system, which he finds easier to tamper with.

In Petrolina, Bolsonaro Tuesday staged another “motociata” (motorcycle caravan parade) alongside former Minister of Tourism Gilson Machado, who is running for the Senate.

“We will not abandon the agenda of customs, that which has to do with our faith, with our religion, we do not admit to discussing the legalization of abortion, we do not want the legalization of drugs, we do not admit gender ideology for our children,” Bolsonaro told Juazeiro voters, in Bahia, the most populous state in the Northeast, where polls show him trail Lula 22% to 60%.

Bolsonaro, who has strong support from evangelical voters, fine-tuned his conservative discourse to lure religious followers.