Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro held their last campaign rallies Saturday, as a new survey showed a close race ahead of the country’s presidential runoff.
The CNT/MDA poll released Saturday gave Bolsonaro 46.3% and Lula 45%. The 1.3-point difference fell within the survey’s 2.2-percentage-point margin of error, and Al Jazeera described the candidates as about even. A week earlier, the poll had shown Bolsonaro at 46.8% and Lula at 45.9%, according to the report.
Lula is seeking another term after a break between earlier periods in office; a win would be his fourth, Al Jazeera reported. Flávio Bolsonaro is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who held office from 2019 to 2022, the report said.
At Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach, Lula used a campaign vehicle as a platform and raised Brazil’s flag during his remarks, Al Jazeera reported. EconoTimes previously covered Lula’s Copacabana campaign rally. He told the crowd voters faced a choice between someone who “kisses the national flag” and someone who “kisses the American flag,” referring to Flávio Bolsonaro’s ties to U.S. President Donald Trump.
At a separate gathering in Minas Gerais, hundreds came by motorcycle in yellow jerseys associated with Brazil’s national football team, Al Jazeera reported. Supporter Ebert Dorigo told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that he believed Lula’s Workers’ Party encouraged dependence on government welfare and argued the country needed a change in direction.
Flávio Bolsonaro has proposed expanding prison capacity by hundreds of thousands of places and reducing government spending, Al Jazeera reported. Event organizer Gabriela Ribeiro Viana told AFP, “If there were any other candidate, that would be a better option.”
Al Jazeera reported that Brazilians are scheduled to vote Sunday, Oct. 25.
