The Brazilian presidential elections between the incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and the main contender Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have been filled with controversies. In a recent tussle between the two candidates, Bolsonaro apologised on Tuesday following “pedophilia” accusations from his opponents.
The controversy started when Bolsonaro recounted a story about visiting the homes of “three or four very pretty 14- or 15-year-olds” last year in a poor Brasilia neighbourhood.
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“There was a vibe between us. I turned around. ‘Can I come in your house?’ I went inside. There were 15 or 20 girls (in the house), all Venezuelans aged 14, 15, getting ready on a Saturday. Why? To earn a living,” he said during a YouTube interview according to a report by AFP.
While the story was intended to compare the situation in Brazil with that of the struggling Venezuela, the political opponents were quick to call the comments “depraved” and within a day of the interview, #Bolsonaropedofilo (Bolsonaro pedophile) started trending on Twitter.
Bolsonaro called the attack “the most terrible of my life” and tendered an unconditional apology.
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“My commitment has always been to better welcome and assist all people fleeing dictatorships anywhere in the world,” he said in an event which attended by Venezuelan delegates.
Meanwhile, members of Bolsonaro’s campaign told Reuters that the former president’s chances of a re-election took a hit following the debates between the candidates. Bolsonaro was targeted for his previous comments on various controversial issues and that took a toll on his popularity.
“It did us a lot of damage,” one of the campaign aides said on condition of anonymity.
