On Saturday, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro concluded their final campaign efforts before the decisive presidential runoff on Sunday, energizing backers and targeting undecided voters in their last push.
Following the right-wing senator’s unexpectedly strong showing in the initial round, the two contenders have stayed virtually tied in recent surveys.
A CNT/MDA poll showed the senator with a 1.3-point lead.
Seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, Lula began his final day of campaigning with a march down Rio de Janeiro’s famous Copacabana beach, joined by thousands of supporters under the hot sun.
“We’re going to win the election for one simple reason: it’s true that the people want change, (but) they want to move forward. They don’t want to go backward,” Lula told journalists before the rally.
In a later march in Sao Paulo, the president traveled along Paulista Avenue, a historic site for political protests in the nation’s biggest city.
“It’s so exciting to see everyone here. This is the kind of energy we want for Brazil. Brazil is ours,” said Gisele Passos, a 61-year-old businesswoman at the Sao Paulo rally.
For many of Lula’s followers, the gatherings had a mixed feeling. Since the 80-year-old former union leader and president is likely making his final run for office, the campaign’s end felt like a farewell tour.
Read Also: Ukraine still faces Starlink restrictions
“He’s one of a kind. He has had an incredible, remarkable, and hard-fought journey. We’re very proud of that,” said Olga Leal, a 62-year-old retiree in Sao Paulo.
Bolsonaro, meanwhile, joined a motorcycle caravan in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, a key battleground state.
Since the nation returned to democracy in the 1980s, no president has been elected without winning Minas Gerais.
In that state’s first round, the senator held a lead of roughly 5 percentage points over Lula.
“The time is almost here. There are only a few hours left before we shape the future of our nation for the next 30 or 40 years,” said the lawmaker, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, in a social media video.
He later took part in a campaign march in his home state of Rio de Janeiro, which he has represented in the Senate since 2019.
The younger Bolsonaro was first backed by his father to run for the presidency last December. The former president was sentenced to over 27 years in prison for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election to Lula.
On Friday, Lula and Bolsonaro met for a final debate on TV Globo, the country’s main free-to-air television channel, where they sparred over the cost of living and traded personal attacks.