Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro have concluded their election campaigns ahead of the first-round presidential vote scheduled for Sunday. Recent polls indicate that Lula's lead over Bolsonaro is narrowing, with neither candidate likely to secure an outright victory.
Lula, 80, wrapped up his re-election campaign on Saturday with a march in Sao Paulo, which his campaign described as drawing a record crowd for a closing rally. He expressed confidence in winning, stating, "Tomorrow, we’re going to win the elections in the first round," and characterized the election as a choice between "democracy and barbarism," while also warning against foreign interference, particularly from the United States.
Bolsonaro, 45, led a motorcycle caravan through towns in Sao Paulo state and later held a rally in Rio de Janeiro, stating, "I am convinced that everything is in place for us to win this election in the first round." He is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting to overturn his 2022 election loss to Lula. The younger Bolsonaro was seen at his rally holding a portrait of his father.
While former President Donald Trump has not formally endorsed Bolsonaro, he has indicated he is closely monitoring the election, a point that has become contentious in the campaign. Lula's supporters view this as evidence of U.S. interference, while some of Bolsonaro's supporters express a desire for U.S. pressure to instigate change in Brazil.
Polls released on Saturday suggest Lula remains ahead, but his lead is decreasing, with the possibility of a run-off election on October 25 if no candidate wins outright. This election is shaping up to be much closer than Lula's previous victory in 2022, which he won by less than two percentage points.
Additionally, the Bolsonaro campaign is under scrutiny due to a film-funding scandal involving Flavio Bolsonaro, who is being investigated for financing a biopic about his father. Brazil's Supreme Court has authorized an investigation into whether Flavio Bolsonaro made defamatory statements about Lula.
If elected, Bolsonaro has pledged to seek his father's release from prison and has echoed his father's claims questioning the reliability of Brazil's electronic voting system, which analysts suggest could set the stage for contesting the election results if he loses. On Sunday, Brazil's nearly 160 million registered voters will also elect lawmakers, governors, and senators.