Brazil's Tight Presidential Runoff Heads to Polls
Final rallies in Rio and Minas Gerais end a bitter campaign as two candidates trail by under three points in the latest polls.
By Larissa Bell ·
Brazil stands at a political crossroads as Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro enter the final hours of a tightly contested presidential runoff. The two rivals held their last major campaign events on Saturday, gathering large crowds in separate regions of the country before voters head to the polls on Sunday. The outcome will determine whether the incumbent left-wing leader secures a fourth non-consecutive term or if Brazil joins a wider regional shift to the right.
In Rio de Janeiro, 80-year-old Lula addressed hundreds of supporters from a campaign truck at Copacabana Beach. Wearing a red hat and waving a national flag, he framed the election as a choice between national and foreign allegiance. He stated that the public must pick between a candidate who honors the Brazilian flag or one who favors the American flag, a direct reference to his rival's connections with US President Donald Trump.
Flavio Bolsonaro, a senator and son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, campaigned in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais. His gathering featured hundreds of motorcyclists wearing yellow national football shirts. Ebert Dorigo, a supporter, told AFP that the Workers Party had created dependence on state welfare. He argued that Brazil needs a new direction and that his side upholds values of nation and family, believing that achievement comes through hard work rather than government aid.
The race is statistically narrow. Bolsonaro took 47 percent of the vote in the first round, slightly ahead of Lula's 45 percent. A CNT/MDA poll released Saturday showed Bolsonaro at 46.3 percent and Lula at 45 percent. This represents a slight shift from a week earlier, when the same poll placed Bolsonaro at 46.8 percent and Lula at 45.9 percent. The margin of error for the survey is 2.2 percentage points.
The campaign has been marked by sharp divisions over economic policy and crime. Bolsonaro has promised to cut government spending and build hundreds of thousands of new prison places to manage the country's crime rate. His father, who served as president from 2019 to 2022, is currently serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula.
Despite the intensity of the rallies, the candidates adopted a calmer tone during their final debate on Friday. They traded accusations about economic difficulties and their respective records but avoided the more heated exchanges seen earlier in the week. Gabriela Ribeiro Viana, an event organizer, described the choice for voters as difficult. She told AFP that while another candidate would be preferable, she is stuck choosing between the worst option and the lesser evil.
