Brazil's Lula raises welfare payments and offers free weight‑loss injections before election

Brazil’s left‑wing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced a 15 percent boost to the nation’s primary cash‑transfer programme for low‑income families, alongside the rollout of free weight‑loss injections, just two weeks before the October 4 presidential election. The measures, presented as efforts to alleviate poverty and improve public health, have been met with criticism from opposition figures who argue that the timing suggests an attempt to sway voters ahead of the contest.

Lula will face far‑right senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who has been gaining momentum in recent weeks. As the campaign intensifies, the opposition’s accusations underscore the heightened scrutiny of policy decisions made in the final stretch of the electoral race, while the election outcome will determine the direction of Brazil’s social and economic agenda.