Overview
- The government began early disbursements on Monday, moving up the Bolsa Família schedule so benefits are paid before the October 26th runoff and raising the program's minimum benefit from 600 to 691 reais.
- Official figures show the change affects about 19.3 million families and more than 50 million people who rely on the program for monthly income.
- Polls show beneficiary votes lean strongly toward Lula, with a recent Datafolha survey finding 61% of Bolsa Família recipients intend to back him while 32% favor Flávio Bolsonaro.
- The Bolsonaro campaign proposed a two-year transition for some beneficiaries, a plan that critics said risked capping or removing aid and that Flávio Bolsonaro and campaign planner Daniella Marques later denied in video statements.
- The move tightens the runoff contest by focusing attention on social assistance as a deciding issue and could shift turnout and preferences among low-income voters, while analysts watch whether the payments change voting behavior in key regions.