Lula stages mass rally ahead of Brazil’s presidential run-off

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva orchestrated a large-scale rally in Sao Paulo on Sunday, advocating for extended paid leave for workers prior to the upcoming presidential runoff. The event saw thousands of supporters gather along the city's Paulista Avenue, adorned with the color red, emblematic of Lula's Workers' Party.

As the leftist incumbent seeks a fourth term, he aims to narrow the gap with his right-wing rival, Flavio Bolsonaro, who defied expectations to win the first-round vote on October 4th. Recent polls indicate Bolsonaro holds an edge in the October 25th runoff. While Bolsonaro has floated a proposal to reduce public spending, inspired by Argentina's Javier Milei, Lula is focusing on enhancing labor conditions as a pivotal aspect of his campaign.

The Senate is slated to vote on Wednesday regarding a bill approved by the lower house in May, which seeks to extend weekly paid days off from one to two and trim the maximum working week from 44 to 40 hours. In response to the proposed measure, Bolsonaro has to declare whether he supports more leisure time for workers or prefers they toil longer hours, according to Lula during a press conference. The Bolsonaro administration has labeled the proposal as "opportunistic."