Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro finish campaigns ahead of Brazil's first-round vote

Incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro wrapped up their campaigns on Saturday as Brazil prepares for a closely contested first-round presidential vote on Sunday. Lula, 80, ended his re-election bid with a rally in São Paulo that his campaign described as a record-attendance event. He told supporters, "Tomorrow, we’re going to win the elections in the first round," and framed the vote as a test of Brazil’s sovereignty, warning against alleged foreign interference.

Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, led a motorcycle caravan through towns in São Paulo state before rallying in Rio de Janeiro, echoing his father’s campaign style. He said, "I am convinced that everything is in place for us to win this election in the first round." The younger Bolsonaro, who is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, displayed a portrait of his father at the rally.

Polls released on Saturday indicated that Lula still held a lead, though the margin had narrowed, and that neither candidate was likely to secure an outright majority, which would trigger a runoff on October 25. Analysts noted the race is tighter than the 2022 contest, when Lula won by less than two percentage points.

The Bolsonaro campaign is under scrutiny for a film-funding scandal involving a biopic of Jair Bolsonaro financed by a banker linked to a major financial case. Federal police are also investigating whether Flávio Bolsonaro made defamatory statements about Lula. The younger Bolsonaro has pledged to seek his father’s release from prison if elected and has repeated unverified claims about the reliability of Brazil’s electronic voting system, raising concerns about potential challenges to the election outcome.

In addition to the presidential race, Brazilian voters will also elect lawmakers, governors and senators on Sunday.