Brazil’s Workers’ Party (PT), led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, released an official letter aimed directly at Evangelical voters on Monday. Titled “At the Service of Life,” the document outlines the party’s core campaign themes just four months ahead of the highly contested October presidential elections.
“We continue to believe in a Brazil where faith walks hand in hand with justice, politics is at the service of life, democracy is strengthened, national sovereignty is respected, creation is cared for, truth prevails over lies, and hope is stronger than fear,” the PT stated in the text.
The progressive political movement, founded by Lula in 1980 alongside union leaders, activists, and left-wing intellectuals, published the message at the conclusion of the Workers’ Party’s IV National Encounter of Evangelicals held in Brasília.
Adopting a distinct electoral tone, the party emphasizes that the previous administrations of Lula (2003–2010 and 2023–present) and Dilma Rousseff (2011–2016) “have always respected and recognized the importance and role of the Evangelical Church.”
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The manifesto lays out the broad strokes of Lula’s reelection platform, inviting different Evangelical denominations—which have seen an immense surge in membership across Brazil in recent decades—to “participate in the public electoral debate with freedom, responsibility, respect, and hope.”
Evangelical voters in Brazil traditionally lean conservative, strongly defending the traditional family structure while heavily opposing abortion and the legalization of drugs. According to the latest official demographic figures, followers of these Protestant Christian movements make up approximately 30% of the country’s population. While Roman Catholicism remains the majority religion, its numbers have dropped to historic lows.
During the 2022 presidential race, a vast majority of the Evangelical electorate backed far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro is currently under house arrest, serving a 27-year sentence for an attempted coup d’état.
His eldest son and political successor, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, is relying heavily on this specific voting bloc to challenge Lula in the upcoming October vote. Recent opinion polls indicate that both candidates are technically tied in potential second-round runoff simulations.
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As part of a calculated push to solidify this demographic, the Liberal Party (PL) far-right candidate recently participated in the “March for Jesus,” an event that draws hundreds of thousands of Evangelicals to São Paulo every year.
In response, the PT published this letter driven “by faith, hope, and a commitment to building a fairer, more democratic, solidary, and fraternal Brazil.” Although the document incorporates several biblical verses, it firmly rejects “any and all attempts to transform religion into an instrument of political manipulation”—a thinly veiled critique of Flávio Bolsonaro’s high-profile appearance at the March for Jesus.
Furthermore, the missive details the social welfare programs spearheaded by Lula’s administration, underlining that PT candidates will “always act in a respectful and secular manner, defending diversity and religious freedom.”
“PT governments have never opposed churches,” the party declared, seeking to counter long-standing political attacks from the Bolsonarista opposition. The text adds that “following Jesus Christ means protecting life, promoting justice, practicing solidarity, and defending the dignity of all people.”
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“Inspired by these values, we reaffirm our commitment to building a more just, solidary, and inclusive Brazil,” and “we manifest our support for the continuity of the democratic and popular project led by Lula,” the PT concluded. The document strategically defends the protection of life while omitting any explicit references to abortion.
“This commitment does not stem from an electoral exploitation of faith, as we share the President’s own view that one must not ‘take political advantage of something sacred,'” the letter notes.
