The Great Debate: Will Lula be able to reverse rejection among evangelicals?

Senators Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE) and Eliziane Gama (PT-MA) debated, on Wednesday (10), in O Grande Debate (from Monday to Friday, at 11pm), whether "President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) will be able to reverse rejection among evangelicals?"

Last Monday (8), the PT launched a letter to the evangelical public that highlights the national directory's desire to avoid the use of faith for electoral purposes. The evangelical public is a long-standing challenge for President Lula during the election period.

A survey by Instituto Genial/Quest, carried out between the 5th and 8th of June with 2,004 voters, with a margin of error of 2 percentage points and a confidence level of 95%, showed a downward trend in disapproval of the government among evangelicals.

In February, 61% of this public disapproved of the government; the index rose to 68% in April, fell to 65% in May and reached 60% in June. Approval, which was 34% in February, fell to 28% in April and grew again, reaching 35% in June.

Eliziane Gama defends rapprochement with evangelicals
Senator Eliziane Gama (PT-MA) positively assessed the trend highlighted by the research. "I think it can do it, the numbers point to that", she stated, when asked about the ability to reverse the historic rejection of the PT among the evangelical public.

Eliziane highlighted initiatives that, according to her, demonstrate the government's attention to the demands of the segment, such as the recognition of gospel music as national heritage, the sanction of commemorative dates linked to the evangelical faith and support for the bill on church exemptions.

"He is a president who respects the secular State, does not instrumentalize faith, does not instrumentalize the church, but recognizes what the Brazilian evangelical people are", declared the senator.

Eliziane also refuted criticisms made of the government, classifying them as "fake news" and "cuts" used by the opposition. According to her, Lula never defended abortion, drugs or terrorism, and stated that narratives against the government "don't fit" given the results of the polls. The senator also cited social policies, such as the "Minha Casa Minha Vida" program, "Pé de Meia" and Brazil's removal from the UN hunger map.

Eduardo Girão contests the possibility of reversal
Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE) expressed a contrary position, arguing that the government's agenda is, in his view, incompatible with Christian values. "If the information reaches those who are Christians, they will see that the Lula government's agendas are anti-Christian agendas," he stated.

Among the points raised by Girão are the approval of betting houses, the government's position in relation to the conflict in Israel, and statements about drugs and abortion attributed to the government.

Girão also cited the vote on the anti-drug PEC in the Federal Senate, stating that senators from the PT and the government's allied base voted against the measure. "It's one thing to speak to the public, narrative. Another thing is the facts", he declared.

The senator also mentioned the expression "people who gestate" adopted in government documents as an example of what he classified as "gender ideology", in addition to criticizing what he called an attempt to censor social networks during the electoral period.

The texts generated by artificial intelligence on CNN Brasil are made based on video cuts from the newspapers in its programming. All information is investigated and checked by journalists. The final text is also reviewed by the CNN journalism team. Click here to find out more.

Source: CNN