Cuban Crisis Puts Damper on Lula's Digital Popularity, and Boosts Bolsonaro

President remains in isolated leadership, and Leite is boosted after coming out as gay, shows study by Quaest

São Paulo

Last week marked a spike in President Jair Bolsonaro's (no party) digital popularity, driven by his hospital stay. On the other hand, there was a fall for former president Lula (PT), motivated by his support for Cuba.

The popularity of politicians on social networks is measured daily by the Quaest consultancy, through the Digital Popularity Index (IPD).

(FILES) In this file photo taken on February 18, 2020 Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is pictured during a meeting with deputies and senators of the Workers' Party (PT) in Brasilia. (Photo by Sergio LIMA / AFP) - AFP

On July 12, Bolsonaro and Lula had an IPD of around 40 points, with 48.38 and 43.18 respectively. The following day, Lula's critical speech of the US that favored the Cuban dictatorship dropped its index to 29.35. On July 14th, he reached a low of 27.48.

That same day, suffering from pain and a crisis of hiccups, Bolsonaro was admitted to the Hospital das Forças Armadas, in Brasília, and transferred to São Paulo. His IDP rose to 67.89 and continued up to 73.91, last Saturday (17).

Between May and July, the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite (PSDB), became the most popular among the presidential candidates for a few days, after saying in an interview to TV Globo on the 1st, that he is gay.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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