Brazil Election: Lula Boosts Welfare, Bolsonaro Allies Optimistic

In Brazil, two weeks before the first round of the 2026 presidential election, President Lula increased the Bolsa Família welfare payment. His campaign plans to blame Bolsonaro for food prices and promise a higher limit for individual microentrepreneurs (MEI). A Gastômetro estimate puts Lula's election-year spending at 269 billion reais. Separately, a court decision kept a conviction of Eduardo Bolsonaro for coercion, and allies of Flávio Bolsonaro are optimistic, seeing no strong alternative to Lula. Lula said Flávio is "nervous."