00:00So we're saying over 150 million Brazilians are called to polls to cast their votes on the general elections of
00:06next Sunday, October 4th.
00:08From real life, our colleague Belen de los Altos has all the updates in these days leading up to the
00:13election day.
00:14Welcome, Belen, to From the South.
00:17Hello, Luis. Exactly as you were saying, we are entering those last few days that are so important for a
00:24race that promises to be very close.
00:26And the militants know this, the bases know this, they know that every vote counts.
00:31And that these last few days have been proven to be the most important in order to win the last
00:37few votes that could be the size seven.
00:39And as we go around Rio de Janeiro, we're right now in Lago de Machado, and we are seeing the
00:45different militant activists just walking around with the colors representing the main candidates.
00:51And they are giving out pamphlets, they are talking to citizens, they are really trying to position, of course, their
00:58own party and truly trying to convince everyone to go and vote.
01:03Because it's in those segments that are not fully decided on the candidate and also fully decided on the idea
01:11of participating themselves, that the result will be depending on.
01:16So, a little bit on Rio de Janeiro, we were just talking at a national level.
01:20Why is this city so important?
01:23Because it's the third greatest electoral college in the country.
01:27That means it is the third state with the largest amount of voters.
01:32Just after São Paulo and Minas Gerais, we have over 12 million Brazilians that are going to vote or could
01:40vote in the following elections.
01:41Just in Rio de Janeiro, that positions the state as a crucial place in order to decide the election.
01:49And, of course, the main candidates know this.
01:52Also, the fact that some of the key issues that are just going over and determining the entire campaign, not
02:02only at a state level, but at a national level,
02:04just as the matter of security, is also very important in Rio de Janeiro itself.
02:11It's one of the main concerns for the urban population and the territory population as well.
02:17So, that topic that has become so crucial is particularly key here in Rio de Janeiro.
02:23So, for different factors, again, taking into consideration that right around over 8% of the entire Brazilian population is
02:34going to vote in the state.
02:36That is why it's one of the key cities.
02:38So, let's understand a little bit what is happening at a local level in Rio de Janeiro.
02:44In particular, we have two governor candidates, the main ones.
02:49You have other ones, but at a national level, you have two candidacies that are disputing most of the votes
02:57that are going to be passed.
02:58And, we are talking about Eduardo Páez from the Social Democratic Party.
03:03And, he has the support of President Ludo da Silva.
03:06He has been mayor of Rio de Janeiro several times.
03:09And, he actually resigned from that position in order to run for the governor position of the state at this
03:17moment.
03:17He is running also on this executive capacity, his experience in terms of the administrative labor that has to do
03:26with running such a key state also in one of the most important matters, as we were saying, that is
03:33security in particular.
03:34And, then you have Douglas Lewis from the Liberal Party.
03:37He is actually the son of one of the mayors in Rio de Janeiro from the key Bolsonaro's race movement
03:46and very much aligned with the proposals and positions that have made the Bolsonaro's race movement an important part of
03:55Brazilian politics.
03:56So, also, he has been running on that platform linked to, again, security, but with a platform of increasing police
04:09presence, pressure, harder movement and crackdown on any sort of crime from much more of a tentative approach to the
04:20security matter.
04:22And, also, trying to maintain Rio de Janeiro, an important base for that more conservative, far-right movement.
04:30So, that is a little bit of what is happening.
04:31We will get more into depth in terms of what that means and why this has become such an important
04:38sector within the election of Brazil in the run-up to the first voting day that will be this Sunday.
04:47So, we will be having more information along the day.
04:51Thank you for the details coming from Rio de Janeiro and the impact it will have for the country in
04:56general this voting day next Sunday, October 4th in Brazil.
05:00Let's now continue with other topics.
