Bolsonaro Adds Four Parties to Runoff Bloc Ahead of Oct 25 Vote

SAO PAULO. Flavio Bolsonaro has picked up the backing of four parties that stayed neutral in the first round of Brazil's presidential election. The endorsements put his coalition on course for comfortable majorities in both chambers of Congress if he wins the runoff on October 25. He faces President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who finished the first round just behind him.

The new backers are PP, Uniao Brasil, Republicanos and Podemos. Lawmakers from some of those parties held cabinet posts in Lula's own administration. Three defeated first-round candidates also endorsed him: former Minas Gerais Governor Romeu Zema, former Goias Governor Ronaldo Caiado, and author and psychiatrist Augusto Cury. Zema's Novo party endorsed Bolsonaro as well.

Bolsonaro is a right-wing lawmaker and the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. He beat expectations in the first round and took a slight lead over the incumbent. At a press conference with allied lawmakers last week, he welcomed the new support and said it was how his side would rebuild Brazil.

Why a bloc matters in Brazil

Brazil's Congress is split among many parties. No president governs alone. The winner on October 25 must build a coalition to pass laws, and Bolsonaro is building his before the vote, not after it.

A friendly Congress would raise his chances of passing the free-market economic reforms that investors have asked for. It could also give a Bolsonaro government the votes to reshape institutions such as the Supreme Court, by confirming new justices and even impeaching sitting ones. That is why party leaders are choosing sides now, while their endorsements still carry a price.

Lula answers with voters' wallets

Lula is not standing still. On Thursday, October 15, he said he would send Congress a constitutional amendment to make weekend public transport free in every city that runs a transit system. It was the latest in a run of voter-friendly measures inside the final two weeks of the campaign.

The runoff is on October 25. Bolsonaro goes in with the first-round lead and a growing bloc in Congress. Lula goes in with the powers of an incumbent and a pitch aimed at daily costs. The next nine days will show which offer Brazilian voters trust more.