Lula’s Approval Dips in Brazil Following Controversial Israel-Gaza Remarks

Recent remarks by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva likening Israel’s actions in Gaza to the Nazi genocide during World War Two have led to a decline in his approval ratings, according to a new Genial/Quaest poll released on Wednesday.

The poll, conducted between February 25 and 27, revealed that Lula’s approval rating for his way of governing dropped to 51% in February from 54% in December, marking its lowest level since April 2023. Concurrently, disapproval of his performance increased, with 46% of respondents stating he was doing a bad job, up from 43% in the previous survey.

Especially noteworthy is the decline in approval among evangelical Christian voters, a key demographic that traditionally supported former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. Lula’s remarks on the Gaza conflict led to a drop in approval among evangelical Christians to 35% from 41%, with their disapproval of his government rising to 62% from 56%.

Lula’s comments, in which he denounced Israel’s military actions in Gaza as “genocide” against Palestinians and compared it to the Holocaust, were met with strong criticism from Israel, which described them as a serious anti-Semitic attack. Israel demanded an apology from Lula and declared him unwelcome until he retracts his remarks, though Brazilian sources have indicated that this is unlikely to happen.

The controversy surrounding Lula’s remarks has highlighted deep divisions within Brazilian society, with approximately 60% of Brazilians believing that he exaggerated in his comparison, according to the poll. Among evangelicals, this sentiment is even more pronounced, with 69% expressing disapproval of Lula’s statements.

Quaest pollster Felipe Nunes remarked that the backlash to Lula’s remarks has eroded support for the president even within his own political base, indicating the significance of the issue in shaping public opinion.

The Genial/Quaest poll surveyed 2,000 individuals of voting age and carries a 2.2 percentage point margin of error. As Brazil grapples with the aftermath of Lula’s controversial comments, the impact on his political standing and broader implications for the country’s political landscape remain subjects of keen observation.