Lula unveils welfare boost and free weight-loss drugs weeks before Brazil election

Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has announced a 15% increase in the country's main cash-transfer programme for poor families, alongside a plan to provide free weight-loss injections, according to the Guardian.

The announcements come just two weeks before Brazil's presidential election, prompting criticism from opponents who characterize the moves as electorally motivated, the report said.

Lula, the leftwing incumbent, is set to face far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro on October 4. Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, has been gaining ground in recent weeks, according to the Guardian.

The cash-transfer programme referenced in the announcement is Brazil's principal welfare initiative aimed at supporting low-income families. Details on the scope and cost of the proposed increase, as well as the weight-loss jab initiative, were not fully specified in available reporting.

Critics have questioned the timing of the announcements, suggesting they are designed to boost support for Lula ahead of the vote. The Guardian's report did not include direct responses from Lula's administration addressing these criticisms.