Lula da Silva says Bolsonaro is "possessed by the Devil"

Brazil's former president Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, kicked off Tuesday the electoral campaign for the October 2 presidential election, saying that the current president Jair Bolsonaro, who is his main rival, is "possessed by the devil."

Lula Da Silva, who is a candidate for the Workers' Party (PT), regretted that Bolsonaro does not have "a single tear" for 680,000 people who have died in Brazil victims of Covid-19. These words were uttered just hours after the current president defended his management of the pandemic in his first campaign event.

"You don't believe in science," he tells Bolsonaro.

After identifying the devil possessing Jair Bolsonaro's body, Lula da Silva told the president: "You are a denialist. You don't believe in science. You don't believe in medicine." The former president said these words during a visit to an automobile factory in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo.

Lula leads the polls with 44% in voting intention in the first round, compared to Bolsonaro's 32%, according to the most recent survey published by Ipec published on Monday.

Da Silva assures that he wants to return to the Planalto Palace so that Brazil"will once again be respected in the world" and has promised to modify the income tax and work in favor of those who have less.

Demonizing opponents

Lula da Silva is not the only one who has used the resource of demonizing the enemy. His pronouncement, in which he calls Bolsonaro "possessed by the Devil", is reminiscent of the words of his counterpart and friend, the late president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, in 2006.

The Venezuelan, during a speech at the plenary session of the UN General Assembly, said that "the greatest threat looming on this planet are the imperialist pretensions of the United States and the devil is at home. Yesterday the devil came here. This place smells like sulfur," referring to then U.S. President George W. Bush.