Lula and Bolsonaro close Brazil campaigns in tight presidential race

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro have concluded their campaigns ahead of Sunday’s closely contested first-round presidential election. Lula, 80, ended his campaign with a march through São Paulo, where his campaign said a record crowd attended the closing rally. He told supporters he expected to win in the first round and presented the election as a choice between democracy and the far right.

Lula also framed the contest as a test of Brazil’s sovereignty and warned against alleged interference from Washington. Donald Trump has not formally endorsed Bolsonaro but has said he is watching the election closely, prompting criticism from Lula’s supporters. Bolsonaro, 45, led a motorcycle caravan through towns in São Paulo state before holding a rally in Rio de Janeiro.

He said he was convinced his campaign could also win outright. He is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting to overturn his 2022 election defeat by Lula. Polls released on Saturday showed Lula still ahead but suggested the gap was narrowing.

Neither candidate was considered likely to secure an outright victory, which would send the contest to a runoff on October 25. The election is considerably tighter than Lula’s 2022 victory, when he defeated the elder Bolsonaro by less than two percentage points. Flávio Bolsonaro has pledged to seek his father’s release if elected and has repeated unsubstantiated doubts about Brazil’s electronic voting system.

The Bolsonaro campaign has also faced scrutiny over financing for a film about the former president. Voters will additionally choose lawmakers, governors and senators, with nearly 160 million registered voters participating.