Last dance? Inside Lula’s strategy to win a fourth presidency in Brazil

Confronting fears of violenceWhere Lula arguably struggles the most, though, is with public security.Polls show that violence is the top concern for Brazilian voters. The research firm Quaest found that 33 percent of voters ranked it as their primary concern, compared with 15 percent for the second-highest issue, the economy.Flavio Bolsonaro has sought to wield those fears of crime as an advantage.At his campaign launch in Rio de Janeiro last month, the senator argued that the Lula government had “surrendered sovereignty” to criminal gangs like the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and the Comando Vermelho.He has also voiced his support for efforts under Trump to name Brazilian gangs "foreign terrorist organisations".While Lula has promised to create a dedicated Public Security Ministry, Flavio Bolsonaro has pledged more hardline measures, including the construction of five maximum-security “mega-prisons”.“Repressive strategies are flashier,” said Lima, the Brazil analyst. “If you arrest a bunch of criminals, if you kill a bunch of criminals, even if it doesn’t fix anything, it gives the impression that something is being done.”While Lula holds a lead in pre-election polls, this ye...