Otoni de Paula declares vote for Lula and warns evangelicals

In a video released this Friday, Otoni de Paula (PSD‑RJ) confirmed his support for Lula and highlighted the importance of the president’s re‑election for the country. The deputy, former vice‑leader of the Chamber during Bolsonaro’s government, said he had never voted for Lula before, but that he found a “meeting with the truth” that led him to change his stance. He called Lula’s election essential to avoid what he described as a “very great danger” represented by candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, whom he accuses of militia involvement in Rio de Janeiro.

What changed in Otoni’s position

The deputy has been distancing himself from Bolsonarism since 2024, publicly thanking Lula for creating the National Gospel Music Day and supporting Jorge Messias’s nomination to the Supreme Court. In 2025, he lost the race for the leadership of the Parliamentary Evangelical Front, a sign of his growing distance from Bolsonaro’s allies.

Warning evangelicals about persecution

Otoni declared that evangelicals who vote against Lula are “excommunicated” by their brothers, describing the situation as “hate using the Bible as a shield.” He said he will not allow the church, the State, or the country to be handed over to the Bolsonaro family, which he knows closely.

Plan to involve evangelicals in the second round

As a coordinator of Ronaldo Caiado’s campaign, Otoni intends to bring Lula to meetings with pastors and large churches in the second round. He emphasized that the polarization between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro affects the evangelical community and that Lula “is on the side of evangelicals.”

Lula’s reaction and the election scenario

Lula responded that he stands with evangelicals and plans to gather the group after the elections to set priorities. While the majority of evangelicals tend to vote for Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula’s support remains higher among Catholics.

With information from O GLOBO, Poder360, SBT News.