Lupa: Lula and Bolsonaro wage narrative war on the economy in the 1st week of election time

A speech war on the economy between President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) marked the first week of electoral propaganda on radio and TV. The PT leads the voting intentions with 45%, followed by the current president, with 32%, according to a Datafolha poll released on Thursday (1st).

Rivals diverged and brought out of context information on topics such as job creation, fuel prices and social benefits. But they went further. While Bolsonaro again mistakenly said that he created Pix, Lula was wrong to quote a data about women who support their homes.

Ciro Gomes (PDT), with 9% in Datafolha, also emphasized the economy, but was inaccurate when talking about Brazil’s role in food production. Simone Tebet (MDB), with 5%, focused on her political trajectory and the dissemination of proposals. THE Magnifying glass did not find sentences by Felipe d’Avila (Novo) and Soraya Thronicke (União Brasil) that could be checked.

Of the 11 candidates for the Planalto, only six participate in the electoral schedule, which is restricted to parties represented in the Federal Chamber. Together, Bolsonaro and Lula have 49% of the 12 minutes and 30 seconds. The advertisements analyzed by Magnifying glass were shown on Saturday (27), Tuesday (30) and Thursday (1), on radio and TV.

Candidates’ advisors were contacted to comment on the checks, but did not respond until the report was published.

SQUID (PT)

REAL

The Auxílio Brasil in the amount of R$ 600 is foreseen only until December 2022. This is what is stated in article 1 of Ordinance 797, published in July of this year. The Ploa (Budget Law Proposal) for 2023, sent by President Jair Bolsonaro to Congress, provides for the amount of R$ 405.

EXAGGERATED

Between 2002, the year before Lula took office as president, and 2015, the last year in which Dilma ruled the country for 12 months, the number of formal jobs grew by 19.37 million, according to the Statistical Yearbook of the Annual Social Information Report (page 5). The data cited by Lula is 13.5% higher than the real one.

TRUE BUT

When Lula left the government in December 2010, the average price of diesel was R$2.02, according to the 2020 Yearbook of the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP). But this value, corrected by the IPCA considering July 2022 (last month available), is BRL 4.08.

FALSE

Although women represent 51.1% of the population (page 4), according to the IBGE, 45% of them are responsible for supporting their homes, according to a survey by Ipea (Institute of Applied Economic Research) published in 2020. Another study, published in January 2022, indicates that 48.7% of households are headed by women.

JAIR BOLSONARO (PL)

FALSE

The tool was conceived during the government of Michel Temer (MDB) by the BC (Central Bank), which created, in May 2018, a working group to develop the system. In December of the same year, the BC issued a statement informing that it had approved “fundamental requirements for the Brazilian instant payments ecosystem”. The launch of Pix, however, only took place in November 2020, during the Bolsonaro government.

REAL

As of August 2022, the payment of Auxílio Brasil started to cover 20.3 million families. Beneficiaries will receive R$ 600 monthly until December this year.

FALSE

Even with the reduction in recent weeks, the price of fuel is at its highest level in history. On January 1, 2019, the date of Bolsonaro’s inauguration, gasoline and diesel cost R$4.27 and R$3.49 to consumers, respectively. In the last week of August, according to the ANP, gasoline had an average price of R$ 5.25 and diesel, R$ 6.93.

There was, in fact, a reduction compared to other moments in 2022. In January, the average prices of gasoline and diesel were, respectively, R$ 6.63 and R$ 5.49. In June, gasoline reached R$7.39 and diesel reached R$7.56, a record since 2004. Since then, price reductions made by Petrobras and measures such as the change in ICMS collection, approved by Congress, have made values ​​fall to current levels.

CIRO GOMES (PDT)

REAL

According to a survey by the IBPT (Brazilian Institute of Planning and Taxation), a dozen eggs cost BRL 6.99 in March 2020 and rose to BRL 22.50 in May 2022, which meant an increase of 202% above inflation during the period.

EXAGGERATED

According to the latest FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization) World Food and Agriculture report, released in 2021, Brazil is the third largest food producer in the world.

According to the study (page 161), China and India are ahead of Brazil in the total volume produced of foods such as cereals, sugar, vegetables, oilseeds, fruits, roots and tubers. In meat production, Brazil is behind China and the United States, according to another FAO report (page 23).

SIMONE TEBET (MDB)

REAL

As a state deputy for Mato Grosso do Sul (2003-2004), Simone Tebet acted to overturn decree 11,409/2023, from the state government, which allowed the installation of alcohol and sugar plants in the Pantanal. The measure contradicted Law 328/82, which prohibits the installation of an alcohol plant in Pantanal areas and close to tributaries of the Pantanal.

According to records from the Legislative Assembly of MS, Tebet sent two requests to the House Environment Commission asking for the suspension of the effects of the decree. After the repercussion of the case, the government revoked the decree on October 13, 2003 (art.16).

REAL

Senator Simone Tebet (MDB) was the first woman to run for the presidency of the Brazilian Senate. She faced the current president of the House, Senator Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD), in 2021. Tebet had 21 votes against Pacheco’s 57.