President Jair Bolsonaro (PSL) on Monday mourned the opposition's victory in Argentina's primary elections, indicating the possible defeat of his ally Mauricio Macri in the October elections. The declaration was made in Pelotas (RS), at an event to inaugurate 47 km of highway duplication BR-116.

On Sunday (11), the ticket led by Alberto Fernández, who has former President Cristina Kirchner as his vice, won 47% of the vote, surpassing the current president by more than 15 points.

If Fernández repeats the same numbers in the actual election in October, he would be elected in the first round. He must have more than 45% of the vote or more than 40% and at least ten percentage points of advantage.

Jair Bolosnaro said that in Pelotas (RS), at an event to inaugurate 47 km of highway duplication BR-116 Foto: Clauber Cleber Caetano/PR

Bolsonaro said Rio Grande do Sul could become the state of Roraima if Cristina Kirchner returns to power, comparing Venezuela from Maduro to Argentina.

"Don't forget, in the south, in Argentina, what happened in yesterday's elections. Cristina Kirchner's class, which is the same as Dilma Rousseff's, Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, gave a sign of life. Gaucho people, if this leftist back in Argentina, we may have in Rio Grande do Sul a new state of Roraima," he said.

"You [gauchos] may risk having an economic catastrophe there, as they had in Venezuela, having an invasion of Argentina here. We don't want that for our brothers," he said.

Roraima has received an increasing number of Venezuelans fleeing the country due to the economic and political crisis that has dragged on since 2015.

There are more than 30,000 citizens from the neighboring country in Roraima, a state of 576,000, according to the IBGE. The government says the state is home to at least 40,000 Venezuelans.

At night, Bolsonaro said he does not plan to end his alliance with Argentina, even with a possible victory of Fernández.

"We will see what the situation is like [between the two countries]. I [do not want to] break unilaterally. But he [Fernández] said that he wants to review Mercosur. The first flag is that it will be a conflict, "he said.

According to him, his government desires to have "integration and prosperity" with Argentina. "It's not helping Macri or not helping. A country with these [economic] numbers, the trend is what? To become a new Venezuela."

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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