Lula, Bolsonaro rally supporters on final day before Brazil presidential runoff

Brazil's presidential runoff takes place on Sunday, with incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro making final pushes for undecided voters. The two candidates have been running neck and neck in recent polls, with Lula's office citing a 1.3-point lead following Bolsonaro's strong showing in the first round.

On his final day of campaigning, Lula led a march along Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach, rallying thousands of supporters with his message of change and progress. "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.

In Sao Paulo, Lula addressed a crowd on Paulista Avenue, saying, "Brazil is ours." One supporter, 61-year-old businesswoman Gisele Passos, praised the energy of the rallies, calling them "exciting."

Lula's campaign has taken on a bittersweet tone, as the 80-year-old former union leader is widely expected to be making his last bid for office. Olga Leal, a 62-year-old retiree, reflected on the historic campaign, saying, "He’s one of a kind. He has had an incredible, remarkable, and hard-fought journey. We’re very proud of that."

Bolsonaro, seeking to carry on his father’s legacy, joined a motorcycle caravan in Belo Horizonte, a key battleground state. The senator led Lula by around 5 percentage points in Minas Gerais in the first round. "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," Bolsonaro said in a social media video.

In his home state of Rio de Janeiro, where he has represented the Senate since 2019, Bolsonaro rallied supporters alongside his father. The younger Bolsonaro was backed by his father to run for president last December, following his father's imprisonment for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election to Lula. On Friday, Lula and Bolsonaro faced off in a final debate on TV Globo, trading personal attacks and debating the cost of living.