Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro battle for Brazil's evangelical vote ahead of runoff

Brazil's evangelical voters have become a major focus of the presidential campaign as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro seek support from religious communities ahead of the October 25 run-off.

Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, has established strong support among evangelical voters, while Lula is working to attract members of a community traditionally associated with the conservative right.

At a religious gathering at the Gilberto Cardoso Gymnasium, known as Maracanazinho, in Rio de Janeiro, several worshippers explained why they support Bolsonaro.

Maria Luisa, an evangelical Christian, said the senator's emphasis on family values influenced her political preference.

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"He sets good examples for people. Many are like that, but he attaches great importance to the family. That is why we support Bolsonaro, because the family supports the family and always wants to see it doing well," she said.

Another worshipper, Marisa, expressed hope that Bolsonaro would bring change to the country if elected.

"Flavio, may you be able to do the best for our country, with God before you. Brazil needs change, it needs renewal, and we are counting on your help," she said.

Joao Sebastiao also connected the candidate's political future to his religious beliefs.

"He is not yet the president of the country, but we believe that God is in control of this situation. And if he gets to where he has to get to, it will be because God put him in that place to govern and administer. We believe he will be a great administrator for this country. That is what we need today to have a better Brazil," he maintained.

However, the political importance of evangelical voters extends beyond religious beliefs.

Guilherme Galvao, an analyst at the Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV), explained that Jair Bolsonaro had attracted support from different groups through his positions on public order, conservative values and economic policies.

"On the basis of his discourse in defence of order, his values agenda and his own economic agenda, Jair Bolsonaro ended up winning over very diverse sectors and managed to turn evangelicals into his main social base. Today, any candidate for the presidency of the Republic or for any other major executive post who wants to win an election needs, in some way, to establish a dialogue with the evangelical sector," Galvao explained.

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The analyst also highlighted differences in political preferences between Catholic and evangelical communities, while stressing that neither group votes as a single bloc.

"Catholics tend to prefer the Workers' Party (PT) and Lula, because the president maintains a more moderate discourse on these issues. There is a certain distance between him and evangelical grassroots, although it is not absolute. On the other hand, Bolsonarism has managed to capitalise on much of that discourse. Evangelicals, because of their decentralised form of organisation, have greater scope to develop political activism," the specialist added.

Both presidential campaigns have increased their engagement with religious groups ahead of the second round.

On October 10, Flavio Bolsonaro attended the centenary celebration of the Assembly of God of the Madureira Ministry at Maracanazinho, where he interacted with worshippers and delivered messages centred on faith.

Two days later, he participated in activities associated with the Catholic feast of Our Lady of Aparecida.

Lula has also intensified his engagement with evangelical communities. On October 14, he released a letter addressed to evangelical voters as part of his efforts to strengthen support within the religious sector.