The narrow result between former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) was taken by the reelection campaign as “unmistakable” proof that the polls failed to capture the country’s electoral reality.
Throughout the campaign, Bolsonaro and ministers slammed polls showing a greater advantage for Lula, saying it was good for “her to conform” to avoid being discredited.
On the night of this Sunday (2), for example, the Minister of the Civil House, Ciro Nogueira, classified the elections as a “scandal” and wrote on social media: “President Bolsonaro’s voters have only one answer to research companies: no answer to none from them until the end of the election!!!”.
Bolsonaro accompanied the investigation with Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PLRJ), one of the campaign coordinators, and other assistants. According to interlocutors, at the beginning of the investigation the atmosphere was “of course characterized by fear and tension”.
As the investigation progressed and the President managed to elect key figures in Bolsonarism, such as Senator Damares Alves for the Federal District and Marcos Pontes for the Senate in São Paulo, the President’s headquarters became confident that he could end the Bolsonarism dispute first lap ahead of Lula.
The result of Tarcísio de Freitas, who ended the race for the government of São Paulo ahead of Fernando Haddad, was also considered extremely positive for the President. According to one of Bolsonaro’s advisers, that strength has injected spirit into the country’s largest electoral college.
The assessment is that the second phase of the dispute will be very close. And at Bolsonarista’s headquarters at the moment, the feeling is that “you can win”.
In the PL party mood and no contesting the polls
The President of the PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, did not accompany the investigation with the President, preferring to remain at the party’s headquarters in Brasília.
According to Valdemar’s assistants, the results of the polls have been extremely favorable for the acronym, which will have strong representation in the Chamber and Senate.
This reduces the possibility of contesting the results of the polls.