Brazil's Electoral Campaign Launches on Radio and TV; Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro Head Toward Fierce Battle
- Brazil's main presidential candidates, incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and opposition senator Flávio Bolsonaro, began their free campaign advertisements on television and radio starting Friday.
- Lula is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, while Flávio Bolsonaro is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempted coup.
- The two candidates are currently tied in opinion polls, and political consultant Thomas Traumann predicts the campaign will be more hostile than the 2022 election, which was already one of Brazil's dirtiest.
- Unlike in the United States, campaign advertisements in Brazil are free for parties, with airtime distributed based on coalition size and representation in the Chamber of Deputies.
- Before the first round of voting on October 4, broadcasters must reserve 14 minutes daily for nearly 1,000 thirty-second advertisements, plus exclusive blocks for presidential candidates.
Brazil's main presidential candidates, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, began seeking to convince voters through free advertisements on television and radio stations starting Friday. Despite the rise of social media, traditional broadcast media continues to play a fundamental role in Brazilian campaigns, reaching remote areas of the country and shaping public discourse.
Lula, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, is currently tied in polls with senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempted coup. Political consultant Thomas Traumann predicts the campaign will be extremely hostile, expecting it to be dirtier than the 2022 election, which was already one of Brazil's most contentious. In 2022, Lula defeated Jair Bolsonaro by the narrowest margin since Brazil's return to democracy in 1985.
Unlike in the United States, campaign advertisements in Brazil are free for political parties, with airtime distributed based on coalition size and representation in the Chamber of Deputies. This system defends the democratic principle of equal treatment, ensuring that airtime is not determined by a party's economic power. Before the first round of voting on October 4, broadcasters must reserve 14 minutes daily for nearly 1,000 thirty-second advertisements, plus exclusive blocks for presidential candidates.
巴西广播电视竞选活动启动；卢拉与弗拉维奥·博索纳罗展开激烈竞争
巴西主要总统候选人卢拉·达·席尔瓦和弗拉维奥·博索纳罗从周五开始通过电视和广播电台的免费广告寻求说服选民。尽管社交媒体兴起，传统广播媒体在巴西竞选中仍发挥着根本性作用，能够覆盖全国偏远地区并塑造公众舆论。
寻求第四个非连续任期的卢拉目前在民调中与参议员弗拉维奥·博索纳罗打成平手。弗拉维奥是前总统贾伊尔·博索纳罗之子，后者因企图政变而服刑27年。政治顾问托马斯·特劳曼预测本次竞选将极其激烈，预期会比2022年大选更加肮脏，而2022年已是巴西历史上最激烈的选举之一。在2022年，卢拉以巴西1985年恢复民主以来最微弱的优势击败了贾伊尔·博索纳罗。
与美国不同，巴西的竞选广告对政党免费，播出时间根据联盟规模和众议院代表人数分配。这一制度维护了平等对待的民主原则，确保播出时间不由政党的经济实力决定。在10月4日第一轮投票前，广播电台必须每天预留14分钟用于近1000条30秒的广告，以及专为总统候选人预留的时间段。