Brazil: Bolsonaro says he will quit politics if defeated

“If it is God's will, I continue. Otherwise, I'm going to return the (presidential) sash and I'm going to stay behind, because at my age, I have nothing more to do here on Earth, if my stint (to the presidency) comes to an end December 31,” he said Monday evening, during an interview with podcasts aimed at young evangelicals.

Surprising remarks from a far-right president who declared in a thundering a year ago that “only God” could remove him from power.

In recent weeks, Mr. Bolsonaro, 67, has moderated his speech somewhat in an attempt to attract a more central electorate.

In the latest poll by the benchmark institute Datafolha, published on Friday, he was 11 points behind the left-wing ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (34% against 45%), a gap which has gradually narrowed, after being 21 points at the end of May.

“I am not the savior of the homeland, it is not me who will save Brazil”, also declared Jair Bolsonaro during the river interview on Monday evening, which lasted more than four hours. .

The Head of State addressed young people directly, saying that their decision in the election could “mark their future”, before criticizing the left-wing governments in place in most other South American countries.

“Make comparisons with other countries, what the leaders of those states have in common where these (leftist) policies do not work. don't know, and ask yourself if this is what you want for Brazil,” he continued.