Popularity of candidate Bolsonaro rises after stabbing attack

Brazil‘s presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro needs more surgery as he recovers from a stabbing attack last week.

Bolsonaro, a far-right candidate in Brazil’s October 7 presidential election, was attacked in the city of Juiz de Fora, by a man wielding a kitchen knife last Thursday.

The former army captain was rushed to hospital where he underwent surgery on an abdominal vein, the colon and the large intestine.

He may not  be able to return to campaigning before the election but a new opinion poll showed that the attack has increased his approval ratings.

According to a DataFolho Poll, Bolsonaro’s ratings went up from 22 to 24 percent

Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman, reporting from Curitiba, said the increase was not as high as many predicted.

Ricardo Costa, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera that while “political violence is always terrible, in this case, it was a crazy man without a political agenda and just a crazy person who stabbed Bolsonaro”.

Outcry

Photos and videos of Bolsonaro in intensive care, released by his campaign and family members, sparked an outcry.

In the 24 hours that followed the attack, his name comprised 98 percent of searches on the Brazilian Google page, and his name was mentioned 1.7 million times on Twitter, according to reports from El Pais. 

The campaign was immediately delegated to his sons, the Senate candidate Flavio Bolsonaro and the deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro.

But while Bolsonaro awaits a second abdominal operation, he is subject to an explosive social media campaign.

His controversial comments regarding gays, blacks and women are galvanising opposition to his presidential bid.

“A man who says that engendering a girl rather than a boy is a failure … what does that say about his opinion of women?,” said Goretti Bussolo, a women rights activist.

“A man who says in front of the cameras: I wont rape you because you don’t deserve it. Does anyone deserve to be raped?,” Bussolo added.

Women make up 53 percent of the Brazilian electorate and could decide the election.