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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro have wrapped up their campaigns ahead of Sunday’s presidential runoff, AnewZ reports. The candidates held rallies in major cities on Saturday (October 24), seeking to mobilize supporters and win over undecided voters.
Polls pointed to a close race. A CNT/MDA poll showed Bolsonaro leading by 1.3 percentage points on the eve of the vote.
Lula joins marches in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo
Lula, 80, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive presidential term, began the final day of campaigning with a march along Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach. Thousands of supporters joined the march.
“We will win the election for a simple reason: it is true that people want change, but they want to move forward. They do not want to go back,” Lula told reporters before the rally.
The left-wing candidate later traveled to São Paulo and led another march along Paulista Avenue, one of Brazil’s best-known venues for political demonstrations.
After a political career spanning several decades, this election could be Lula’s final campaign for public office. The former trade union leader served two presidential terms from 2003 to 2010 and returned to power in 2023.
Flávio Bolsonaro meets supporters in Minas Gerais
Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, spent part of the final day of campaigning in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais. He joined a motorcycle convoy of supporters.
Minas Gerais is considered a key electoral battleground. Since Brazil’s return to democracy in the 1980s, the candidate backed by voters in the state has won every presidential election.
“The time is near. We have only a few hours left to shape the future of our nation for the next 30 or 40 years,” Bolsonaro said in a video posted on social media.
He later joined a campaign march in Rio de Janeiro state, which he has represented in the Senate since 2019.
Flávio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, entered the presidential race after his father announced his support in December last year.
Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison after being found guilty of plotting a coup attempt following his defeat to Lula in the 2022 presidential election. He says he is innocent, while his lawyers have called the trial illegitimate and politically motivated. Reports say his family continues to claim he has been unfairly targeted.
Flávio Bolsonaro has pledged tougher measures against organized crime, tax cuts and reduced public spending. Lula has focused on defending his government’s social and economic agenda.
No candidate won a majority in the first round
Bolsonaro advanced to the runoff after finishing ahead of Lula in the first round held on October 4. According to Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court, Bolsonaro received 47.03% of valid votes, while Lula secured 45.16%. Neither candidate won the majority required for an outright first-round victory.
The unexpectedly narrow margin intensified campaigning ahead of the runoff. Both sides sought to increase voter turnout and attract voters who had backed other candidates earlier in the month.
Lula and Bolsonaro clashed over the cost of living and traded personal attacks during their final televised debate on Friday. The debate took place in the closing hours of the campaign.
More than 158 million Brazilians are eligible to vote in the 2026 election. Polling stations are scheduled to open at 8 a.m. Brazil time on Sunday and close at 5 p.m. Vote counting will begin after they close.
