The pivotal run-off will determine whether Brazilians stick with their left-wing leader or shift towards the right.
Published On ۲۴ Oct ۲۰۲۶
Brazil’s presidential candidates Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro have rallied thousands of supporters in a final show of campaign strength in advance of the country’s closely contested run-off election.
Donning a red hat, Lula addressed hundreds of supporters at Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach on Saturday, waving a Brazilian flag from a campaign truck as crowds gathered on the final day of campaigning.
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“The people must choose either someone who kisses the national flag or someone who kisses the American flag”, the ۸۰-year-old told the crowd as he referenced his opponent’s ties to US President Donald Trump.
Lula is seeking a fourth, non-consecutive term in Sunday’s run-off, which will task Brazilians with determining whether to stick with their incumbent left-wing leader or join a broader regional shift towards the right.
Bolsonaro, a senator and son of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, secured ۴۷ percent of the vote in the first round, narrowly ahead of Lula’s ۴۵ percent.
Recent polling shows Lula and the younger Bolsonaro remain about even on the eve of the pivotal election.
A CNT/MDA survey released on Saturday revealed Bolsonaro would receive ۴۶.۳ percent of the vote compared with ۴۵ percent for the left-wing Lula. Last week, the poll showed a slightly closer race with Bolsonaro leading Lula ۴۶.۸ percent to ۴۵.۹ percent.
The poll’s margin of error was ۲.۲ percentage points.
On Saturday, Bolsonaro’s supporters, including hundreds of motorcyclists wearing Brazil’s yellow national football shirts, gathered in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.
One of those supporters, Ebert Dorigo, accused Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT) of encouraging dependence on government welfare, arguing a change in direction was needed for the country.
“The values we uphold are nation and family. Our country is divided today because, due to welfare-based policies, some people … haven’t grasped that improvement and achievement come only through hard work,” he told the news agency AFP.
The bitter campaign has exposed deep divisions over economic policy, crime and Brazil’s political future, which Bolsonaro has pledged to tackle with hundreds of thousands of more spots in prison and cuts to government spending.
His father, who served as president from ۲۰۱۹ to ۲۰۲۲, is serving a ۲۷-year prison sentence for attempting a coup after losing that year’s election to Lula.
The two candidates struck a calmer tone during their final debate on Friday, although they traded accusations over the country’s economic difficulties and their respective records.
For some voters, however, the choice has been a difficult one.
“If there were any other candidate, that would be a better option,” Gabriela Ribeiro Viana, an event organiser, told AFP. “But we’re stuck choosing between the worst, the horrible, and the lesser evil”.
