Brazil’s Lula and Bolsonaro close campaigns ahead of critical election
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro concluded their campaigns ahead of a closely contested first-round presidential vote on Sunday. Polls released Saturday showed Lula retaining a lead but narrowing, with neither candidate likely to secure an outright victory and the race poised to go to an October 25 run-off if that holds.
Why It Matters
The outcome will determine Brazil's presidential direction amid regional shifts to the right and carries implications for domestic institutions after contested prior elections and high-profile scandals involving both sides. A runoff between the two frontrunners would extend uncertainty through late October.
Key Facts
- election-day: Sunday (first-round presidential vote)
- possible-runoff-date: October 25
- registered-voters: Nearly 160 million
- lula-age: 80
- flavio-bolsonaro-age: 45
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro closed their competing campaigns on Saturday, each telling supporters they expect to win in the first round of voting on Sunday. Lula staged a march through São Paulo that his campaign described as a record-sized closing rally, calling the vote a choice between "democracy and barbarism" and warning against foreign interference. He framed the contest as a defense of Brazilian sovereignty and warned about alleged meddling by Washington.
Flávio Bolsonaro, the 45-year-old son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, led a motorcycle caravan through towns in São Paulo state before speaking at a rally in Rio de Janeiro. He echoed his father's campaign style and was photographed holding a portrait of the former president, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence related to attempts to overturn the 2022 election result. Flávio said he was confident of a first-round victory and has pledged to seek his father's release if elected.
Polls released on Saturday showed Lula still ahead but with a shrinking lead, and suggested neither front-runner was likely to reach the threshold needed to avoid a second round. If no candidate obtains a majority on Sunday, the top two would face each other in a runoff on October 25; the polls indicate that such a head-to-head would also be tight. The current contest is substantially closer than Lula's 2022 win over Jair Bolsonaro, which he carried by under two percentage points.
The campaign has been marked by legal and political controversies. Flávio Bolsonaro is under investigation over financing for a biopic about his father; prosecutors have linked that funding to a jailed banker tied to a major financial scandal. Brazil's Supreme Court in April authorized federal police to probe whether Flávio made defamatory statements about Lula. Questions about the reliability of Brazil's electronic voting system have been raised by Bolsonaro and his allies, and analysts say such claims could be used to challenge results if he loses. Beyond the presidency, voters will also elect governors, senators and members of Congress on Sunday.
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Original source: Al Jazeera