Augusto Cury is politically illiterate, while Flávio erred by pressing Vorcaro for film money, Malafaia says

Pastor Silas Malafaia says Augusto Cury should not be taken seriously as an electoral phenomenon, despite the presidential hopeful’s recent rise in the polls. Cury, the Avante candidate, reached 8% in the latest Datafolha survey, briefly emerging from the field of minor candidates and attracting attention among evangelical voters looking for an alternative to the polarisation between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro.

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He is highly politically illiterate, folks. This is a joke.

Malafaia, who calls Cury a friend and “a genius when it comes to emotions,” sharply rejects his political credentials. “He is highly politically illiterate, folks. This is a joke,” the pastor said. He acknowledged that Cury had been “flying in the evangelical world” for several days, but said memes and mockery over proposals such as using drones to combat violence against women quickly damaged the campaign. “What credibility does he have? I’m not going to talk about the man’s honesty. I know he is a decent man. But he is politically illiterate,” Malafaia said.

The criticism came during a lunch before a Bolsonaro demonstration on September 7 at São Paulo’s Paulista Avenue. Malafaia shared a hotel lobby table with lawmakers Marco Feliciano and Sóstenes Cavalcante. The conversation also turned to a dispute between Supreme Court Justices André Mendonça and Alexandre de Moraes.

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What credibility does he have? I’m not going to talk about the man’s honesty. I know he is a decent man. But he is politically illiterate.

Malafaia said suspicions of an improper relationship between Moraes and former banker Daniel Vorcaro would benefit Flávio and harm Lula. He argued that the president had shown Moraes too much deference to now distance himself from the justice. The “Dark Horse” controversy linking Flávio to Vorcaro, he said, had already faded.

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I think Flávio’s mistake was going there and insisting.

Malafaia’s criticism of Flávio focused not on asking Vorcaro for money to make a film honouring Jair Bolsonaro, but on continuing to press for the promised amount after Vorcaro had become implicated in corruption scandals. “I think Flávio’s mistake was going there and insisting,” he said. Malafaia and Sóstenes believe the negative impact on the ticket has dissipated. Malafaia said Moraes would be his main target at the rally, promising, “I’m going to lay into him.”

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I’m going to lay into him.