Brazil’s Lula, Bolsonaro draw thousands to election-eve rallies

The pivotal run-off will determine whether Brazilians stick with their left-wing leader or shift towards the right.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a rally on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday [Mauro Pimentel/AFP]

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.

list 1 of 3 Brazil’s Lula and Bolsonaro debate policy proposals before run-off

list 2 of 3 Do abstaining voters hold the key to Brazil’s 2026 presidential election?

list 3 of 3 Brazil’s Lula and Bolsonaro about even ahead of election run-off: Poll

“The people must choose either someone who kisses the national flag or someone who kisses the American flag”, the 80-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 47 percent of the vote in the first round, narrowly ahead of Lula’s 45 percent.

Supporters of Brazil’s right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro attend a rally in the Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday [Tercio Teixeira/AFP]

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 46.3 percent of the vote compared ⁠with 45 percent for the left-wing ⁠Lula. Last week, ⁠the poll showed a slightly closer race with Bolsonaro leading ⁠Lula 46.8 percent to ⁠45.9 percent.

The poll’s margin of error was 2.2 ‌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.

Supporters of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attend a rally before the presidential run-off on Saturday in Sao Paulo, Brazil [Rodrigo Paiva/Getty Images]

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 2019 to 2022, is serving a 27-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”.

这场关键的决选将决定巴西人是继续支持他们的左翼领导人，还是转向右翼。

巴西总统路易斯·伊纳西奥·卢拉·达席尔瓦周六在巴西里约热内卢科帕卡巴纳海滩的集会上发表讲话 [Mauro Pimentel/法新社]

在巴西竞争激烈的第二轮选举前夕，巴西总统候选人路易斯·伊纳西奥·卢拉·达席尔瓦和弗拉维奥·博尔索纳罗举行了最后的竞选集会，数千名支持者到场展示竞选实力。

周六，卢拉头戴红帽，在里约热内卢科帕卡巴纳海滩向数百名支持者发表讲话。在竞选活动的最后一天，他站在竞选卡车上挥舞着巴西国旗，人群聚集在他身边。

列表1/3：巴西卢拉和博索纳罗在决选前就政策提案展开辩论

列表 2（共 3 个）：弃权选民是否掌握着巴西 2026 年总统选举的关键？

民调显示，巴西总统候选人卢拉和博索纳罗在第二轮投票前支持率不相上下（共3项）。

“人民必须在亲吻国旗的人和亲吻美国国旗的人之间做出选择，”这位 80 岁的老人对人群说道，同时提到了他的对手与美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的关系。

卢拉正在寻求第四个任期，但并非连续任期。在周日的决选中，巴西民众将决定是继续支持现任左翼领导人，还是加入更广泛的地区性右倾浪潮。

参议员博尔索纳罗是前极右翼总统雅伊尔·博尔索纳罗的儿子，他在第一轮投票中获得了 47% 的选票，略微领先于卢拉的 45%。

巴西右翼总统候选人弗拉维奥·博尔索纳罗的支持者周六参加巴西里约热内卢巴拉达蒂茹卡街区的集会 [Tercio Teixeira/法新社]

最近的民调显示，在关键选举前夕，卢拉和博尔索纳罗的支持率仍然不相上下。

周六公布的CNT/MDA民调显示，博索纳罗将获得46.3%的选票，而左翼候选人卢拉的支持率为45%。上周的民调显示，两人的选情更为胶着，博索纳罗以46.8%对45.9%领先卢拉。

民意调查的误差幅度为 2.2 个百分点。

周六，博索纳罗的支持者，包括数百名身穿巴西黄色国家足球队球衣的摩托车手，聚集在巴西东南部的米纳斯吉拉斯州。

其中一位支持者埃伯特·多里戈指责卢拉的劳工党（PT）鼓励人们依赖政府福利，并认为国家需要改变方向。

“我们所秉持的价值观是国家和家庭。我们国家今天之所以分裂，是因为福利政策导致一些人……没有意识到进步和成就只能通过辛勤工作才能获得，”他告诉法新社。

周六，在巴西圣保罗举行的总统决选前夕，路易斯·伊纳西奥·卢拉·达席尔瓦的支持者们参加了一场集会。[Rodrigo Paiva/Getty Images]

这场激烈的竞选暴露了巴西在经济政策、犯罪和政治未来等方面的深刻分歧，博索纳罗承诺将通过增加数十万个监狱床位和削减政府开支来解决这些问题。

他的父亲曾于 2019 年至 2022 年担任总统，因在当年的选举中败给卢拉后企图发动政变，目前正在服 27 年的监禁。

周五的最后一场辩论中，两位候选人的语气都比较平静，尽管他们就国家的经济困境和各自的政绩互相指责。

然而，对于一些选民来说，这是一个艰难的选择。

活动组织者加布里埃拉·里贝罗·维亚纳告诉法新社：“如果有其他候选人，那将是更好的选择。但我们却只能在最糟糕、最可怕和相对较轻的恶人之间做出选择。”