Brazilian President Bolsonaro says outcomes at elections include victory or death

President Jair Bolsonaro has been ratcheting up his rhetoric, as his popularity falls to all-time lows. PHOTO: AFP

BRASILIA (BLOOMBERG) - Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro laid out three outcomes for the presidential elections next year - he will win the polls, get arrested or killed.

Speaking to a group of evangelical leaders, the conservative leader said he will never be imprisoned as "no man on earth" scares him, and that he is "doing the right thing".

The President has been ratcheting up his rhetoric and clashing with electoral authorities over unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, as his popularity falls to all-time lows.

"When a president of a superior electoral court demonetises the pages of government supporters, he opens a loophole for presidents of regional electoral courts to do the same to defend their respective governor," Mr Bolsonaro said on Saturday (Aug 28). "This is not democracy."

He has also been targeted by investigations authorised by the Supreme Court for spreading falsehood and for alleged irregularities in the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines.

"We have a president who neither wants nor provokes ruptures, but everything has a limit in our life," Mr Bolsonaro said. "We cannot continue to live with this."

He reaffirmed during his speech that he has court documents to prove fraud in the electoral court.

Mr Bolsonaro also stated that he will be present at the demonstrations scheduled for Sept 7, when the country's independence is celebrated.

He said he will be in Brasilia in the morning, and move to Paulista Avenue, in Sao Paulo, in the afternoon "because wherever the people have been I have also been, even during the pandemic".

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