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🇧🇷 Brazil /Elections & Politics

Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro see Cury emerging as a third option for dissatisfied, anti-system voters

From Folha de S.Paulo · () Portuguese

Translated from Portuguese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Augusto Cury rose from 2% to 11% in a Nexus poll, while Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva fell from 41% to 39% and Flávio Bolsonaro from 37% to 33%.
  • Campaign officials for Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro say Cury is attracting voters dissatisfied with both the government and its opponents, although they disagree over whether social-media activity helped drive his rise.
  • Cury denied using bots or paid influencer contracts and attributed his growth to support for his message of ending political polarization.

Augusto Cury has moved from a marginal candidate to a potential third force in Brazil’s presidential election, according to officials working for both Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro. A BTG/Nexus poll put Cury at 11% of first-round voting intentions, up from 2% about a month earlier.

The shift has drawn scrutiny inside the two leading campaigns. People close to Lula say they have noticed unusual activity on social media and compare it with methods associated with Pablo Marçal, who was declared ineligible after offering prizes to followers who posted the most-viewed clips from his 2024 São Paulo mayoral campaign. Flávio Bolsonaro’s team says it also detected the use of bots from India to inflate Cury’s support.

Even Flávio’s allies, however, acknowledge that part of the increase may be organic. They link it to Cury’s appearance in a TV Bandeirantes debate on Aug. 23 and to his appeal among voters unhappy with both the government and its opponents. Cury gained more than 2 million followers in one week.

There is no story about bots. In fact, there are millions of people who believe in pacification and are tired of this insane polarization.

— Augusto CuryCury denied allegations that his campaign used bots or manipulated social media.

Cury rejected allegations of manipulation. “There is no story about bots. In fact, there are millions of people who believe in pacification and are tired of this insane polarization,” he said Monday. He called the surge “a totally silent revolution” that began after the first debate and said voters were responding to the sincerity of his proposals.

The poll, registered with Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court, has a two-point margin of error. Cury performs best among young voters, at 22%, and also draws support from voters in the Northeast, at 14%, and those with higher education, at 17%. In a projected runoff, 23% of his supporters say they would back Lula and 46% Flávio. Lula allies say Cury’s presence could make it harder for the president to consolidate voters who reject both major camps.

What happened was a totally silent revolution starting with the first debate. People are seeing sincerity in our proposals.

— Augusto CuryCury explained the rapid growth in his support and social-media following.
About this summary

Originally published by Folha de S.Paulo in Portuguese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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