– The salary is much lower than what we need to live, says Silvia Barbosa despairingly. She shops for food at what she says is the city’s cheapest supermarket. Nevertheless, there is not much she can afford to put in the shopping basket. Silva Barbosa lives in Salvador in northeastern Brazil, the country’s poorest region. She is completely dependent on “Auxilio Brasil”, the Brazilian aid. There is a monthly payment from the government of just over NOK 1,200. – Bolsonaro has never previously shown interest in us poor people, says Silvia Barbosa. Photo: Arnt Stefansen / news The Brazil aid is a flagship issue for President Jair Bolsonaro in the campaign to be re-elected in the election next Sunday. Because now he needs the votes of the country’s poor more than ever. Has lost support When Jair Bolsonaro was elected president of Brazil four years ago, he had the support of just over 55 percent of voters. Today, opinion polls show a support of 33-35 percent. It is mainly the moderate right that has turned its back on the president. In this situation, he has invested heavily in getting votes from the country’s poor. His government has pushed state finances to the limit in order to provide social assistance to 20 million families. But the reception has been lukewarm: President Jair Bolsonaro at an election meeting in the state of Minas Gerais last Friday. Photo: CRISTIANE MATTOS / Reuters – We poor people don’t trust Bolsonaro, says Silvia Barbosa. – He has never previously shown interest in us. He gives us money now. But I am sure that it will end if he is re-elected, she says to news. On the brink of starvation The social situation in Brazil is dramatic after years of the corona pandemic, high unemployment and sharp price increases. A survey by the network Penssan shows that 33.1 million Brazilians now live on the verge of starvation. That is 14 million more than two years ago. The monthly payments from Brazil aid are therefore absolutely necessary. But according to opinion polls, they have brought little progress for Bolsonaro. Lula da Silva shows that he is running for his third term as president of Brazil. Photo: Marcelo Chello / AP In the poor northeast, he is far behind his strongest competitor, Lula da Silva. Roughly 50 million of Brazil’s 215 million inhabitants live in this area. A full 62 percent support the former president. Bolsonaro only gets 20 percent in the northeast, according to a survey by the institute Datafolha. Lula is favorite The latest nationwide survey from Datafolha actually shows that Lula can decide the election already in the first round next Sunday. What determines this are the so-called “votos validos”, the valid votes. That is, the total number of votes minus blank and invalid votes. To win, the candidate must have at least 50 percent of these votes. Lula is right there in this measurement. – Bolsonaro is a president for the rich, not for poor people. That’s what mother of two Joselita Battista says. news meets her in Fazenda Independencia, a poor area on the outskirts of northeastern Brazil’s largest city, Salvador. Roselita Battista’s empty fridge – a symbol of a Brazil in deep crisis. Photo: Arnt Stefansen, news – The president makes these payments to be re-elected, to prevent the left from winning. This is deceiving people who need help, says Roselita Battista. – In the last election, I voted for Bolsonaro. This time I am voting for Lula, she states.
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33 million on the threshold of starvation – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
