Lula boosts welfare ahead of tight Brazil election, drawing accusations of vote-buying

Two weeks before Brazil's most closely contested presidential election in recent memory, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced a 15% rise in welfare payments to tens of millions of poor families, alongside free weight-loss medication through the public health system. The announcement has reopened an enduring question in democratic life: where does the duty of governance end and the calculus of electoral survival begin. Analysts note that Lula's increase is permanent and inflation-adjusted — unlike the time-limited, budget-breaking welfare surge his predecessor deployed in 2022 — yet th