Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has announced a 15% increase in the country's flagship cash-transfer programme and pledged to distribute weight-loss injections free of charge through the public health system, triggering accusations from opponents that the moves are designed to shore up his vote ahead of a tightly contested presidential election.

The increase applies to Bolsa Família, a programme created during Lula's first term in office in 2003 that has since become one of Latin America's most prominent anti-poverty initiatives. Currently covering around 50 million people — roughly 27 million of voting age — the scheme supports families earning up to the equivalent of about £32 per person per month. Under the new decree, signed on Thursday, the minimum monthly payment for a family rises from 600 to 691 Brazilian reais (approximately €117), with the average payment climbing from 675 to 777 reais. The increases are set to take effect on 19 October and are expected to cost around 22 billion reais (€3.7 billion) in the coming year, covered, the government says, by funds already allocated in the budget. Lula described the adjustment as a measure to compensate for inflation accumulated since March 2023, framing it as protection for the purchasing power of the most vulnerable families rather than a political gift.

The timing is difficult to ignore. On 4 October, Lula faces far-right Senator Flávio Bolsonaro — son of former President Jair Bolsonaro — in the first round of a presidential race that polls suggest is one of the closest in Brazil's modern history. The payment increase takes effect just days before a likely runoff vote scheduled for 25 October, and is expected to benefit between 15% and 20% of the electorate. Flávio Bolsonaro called the announcement an