Brasilia, July 5 (RHC)-- The government of Jair Bolsonaro doubled advertising spending during the course of this year in Brazil's largest television network, Tv Globo, just four months before the presidential election, according to an independent investigation.

While between the months of January and June last year the administration allocated around 6.5 million reais to TV Globo for advertising placement, this year the figure increased by 43 percent with an amount of 11.4 million.

Figures from the Special Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency (Secom) reveal that during the first semester of 2022, 33 million Brazilian reais were routed to Globo, SBT, Rede TV, Record and Band.

This figure is the highest since 2009, when approximately 30 million reais were disbursed. However, the data are causing controversy after Bolsonaro's strong criticism against TV Globo.  

The right-wing Brazilian president, during a visit to the National Athletics Training Center in the municipality of Cascavel, in Paraná, carried a sign saying "Globo garbage."

Secom's data show Bolsonaro's desperation when only three months are left for the presidential elections and former president Luis Ignacio Lula Da Silva leads the voting intention.  Accordingly, Lula has a marked advantage in the polls with 48 percent in favor while the current head of state has approximately 30 percent.