Lula Crowds Copacabana as Brazil Approaches Tied Runoff
With polls showing a statistical dead heat, the incumbent president holds a massive rally while his rival campaigns in Minas Gerais on the eve of the vote.
By Elijah Fitzgerald ·
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gathered tens of thousands of supporters on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. The crowd, dressed in red, filled the 2.5-mile stretch of sand in a procession that activists described as carnival-like. They aim to build momentum for Sunday's presidential runoff against far-right challenger Flávio Bolsonaro.
Approximately 159 million Brazilians are eligible to vote. The race is currently tied in the polls following the first round on 4 October, where Bolsonaro secured 47% of the vote to Lula's 45%. Since democracy returned to Brazil in the 1980s, no candidate has reversed a first-round loss to win the runoff. A victory for Lula would break that historical trend.
On the beach, a large yellow and green banner read "WE ARE GOING TO TURN THIS AROUND!" Truck driver Josias Silva, 61, held a sign predicting a Lula re-election and claiming he would win more than 60% of the vote. Polls suggest the margin will be much narrower. Most analysts view Bolsonaro as the slight favorite, citing his father Jair Bolsonaro's 2019 to 2022 presidency and his own focus on law and order. However, Lula has climbed in recent days amid scandals involving his rival. Last week, the magazine Piauí reported that Flávio Bolsonaro attended a boat party with sex workers and vaccine lobbyists during the 2020 coronavirus outbreak.
For many voters, the election involves personal stakes. Jair Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after losing in 2022. Some democrats fear his release or a return to power if his son wins. Restaurateur Marta Moraes, 59, stated her opposition was specifically to "Bolsonarismo" and noted she lost four relatives due to pandemic neglect. The crowd included members of "Lula's Army," a WhatsApp group with 10 million members. Retired teacher Isabella Gaze, 64, called the election anything but normal.
Bolsonaro's supporters held a parallel rally in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais. Thousands gathered in Praça da Liberdade wearing yellow football jerseys and waving Brazilian and US flags. Minas Gerais holds the second-largest electorate in the country and serves as a key bellwether, as no president has won without carrying the state. Bolsonaro led there by just under 5% in the first round. Shooting club owner Antonio Carlos Costa Jr., 59, defended Bolsonaro's security platform, arguing that his father granted citizens the right to self-defense. Architect Erika Cavalcante, 43, carried a sign reading "Don't let the mobsters win," reflecting Lula supporters' doubts about Bolsonaro's ability to curb crime given his ties to Rio's paramilitary militias.
Voting takes place on Sunday. The final day of campaigning saw intense mobilization in both Rio and Minas Gerais as the two candidates sought to close the gap in a statistically tied contest.
