PoliticsBrazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his main challenger, Flavio Bolsonaro, concluded their campaigns on Saturday in São Paulo state, which accounts for one-fifth of the national vote. Both sought to rally supporters and persuade undecided voters ahead of Sunday’s knife-edge election. Mareeke Reethof, a lecturer in Latin American politics at the University of Liverpool, offered further insight.
PoliticsVinicius Rodrigues Vieira, an associate professor of economics and international relations at the Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation, says Brazil’s presidential election is a very close contest between incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro, who is running on behalf of his father. Vieira considers an October 25 runoff the most likely outcome. He says Lula’s appeal to defend sovereignty against Donald Trump’s tariffs and pressure on Supreme Court justices has not resonated as strongly as expected.
PoliticsBrazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and opposition candidate Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro made their final campaign push Saturday in São Paulo state, the country’s political and economic powerhouse, one day before the presidential election.
The Associated Press
PoliticsFollowing the final campaign events, Sunday’s Brazilian presidential vote remains too close to call: polls put incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva level with Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. Seeking a fourth term, Lula used a Sao Paulo march attended by a crowd in red to vow to defend democracy and sovereignty, a pointed appeal to supporters of Flavio’s jailed father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.
PoliticsInside Latin America examines Brazil’s pivotal presidential election, where 80-year-old President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva faces Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. Flavio is seeking to carry forward the political movement built by his jailed father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. Analyst Eduardo Jose Grin discusses whether Flavio could challenge the election’s legitimacy if defeated, as his father once did, amid competing claims of AI-driven disinformation and fake news from both campaigns.
PoliticsBrazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his main challenger Flavio Bolsonaro made their final appeals to voters at rallies in the pivotal state of Sao Paulo on Saturday, ahead of a nail-biting election marked by scandals and mudslinging.
PoliticsBrazil’s veteran left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is holding his final rally in São Paulo as he seeks what could be his last term in office at age 80. He faces a strong challenge from the son of his former political rival, Jair Bolsonaro.
PoliticsBrazilians vote this weekend in what may be one of the country’s closest elections in years. Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro are competing for every vote while emphasizing issues important to women, including safety, working conditions and household finances. With millions still undecided, women could determine who becomes Brazil’s next president.
PoliticsCrime has emerged as a central concern for Brazilians preparing to vote in Sunday’s general election. Senator Flavio Bolsonaro says he would loosen organised crime’s hold on Rio de Janeiro if he defeats incumbent Lula da Silva, while Lula is seeking a larger federal role in combating criminal gangs. Many Brazilians say gangs wield too much influence in their communities.
PoliticsApplications by Brazilians for residence permits in Paraguay have more than doubled over the past five years. Many applicants support Bolsonaro and fear incumbent leader Lula will win October’s presidential election, accusing him of plunging the Latin American giant into an unprecedented economic crisis.
PoliticsWith Brazil’s presidential election first round only two days away, AI has become central to the campaign. A deepfake avatar of former president Jair Bolsonaro supports his son’s candidacy, while an AI-generated working-class woman criticises President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Brazil’s intelligence agency says disinformation will be a major election challenge.
PoliticsAs Brazil prepares to vote, access to firearms could sway voters, especially in the rural south. Under Jair Bolsonaro, the number of registered hunters, shooters and collectors—known as CACs—rose sevenfold in four years. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pledged to reverse that trend, angering the powerful gun lobby.
PoliticsBrazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro withdrew from Thursday’s final debate before the election, while Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also declined to attend. Polls give the nearly 81-year-old Lula a slight edge in Sunday’s first round, but the two are level in projections for a possible October 25 runoff.
PoliticsBrazilians vote Sunday in an election that polls indicate will be closely contested between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro. If no candidate wins a majority, a runoff is scheduled for Oct. 25. Bloomberg Economics’ Adriana Dupita analyzes the contest.
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PoliticsBrazil’s presidential election begins this weekend. The campaign culminated in the cancellation of a presidential debate after President Lula and his rival Flavio Bolsonaro both withdrew.
EconomyBrazil’s economic figures appear encouraging, with unemployment at 5.6%, growth at 2.3% and inflation easing to 4.2%. Yet a record 84 million Brazilians are behind on debt, largely from credit cards charging astronomical interest. Many families borrow to make it through the month, making economic hardship a major election issue.
PoliticsBrazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is seeking a fourth and final term in the October 4 presidential election. Fighting hunger and poverty was a central promise of his 2022 campaign, and government social and economic programmes lifted nearly nine million people out of poverty between 2023 and 2024, with the sharpest decline in the Northeast. The question is whether that progress will translate into votes.
PoliticsReligion is taking on a growing role in Brazil’s presidential election next week. A dispute over the country’s patron saint has moved from social media into the courts, revealing tensions within Brazil’s highest judiciary.
PoliticsBrazil votes on 4 October in the first round of its presidential election. Incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is running neck-and-neck with Flávio Bolsonaro, son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro. Fears and accusations of US interference follow similar claims in several Latin American elections won by candidates backed by Donald Trump.
PoliticsAs Brazil approaches its general election, voters are encountering an unexpected Donald Trump lookalike on the campaign trail who is seeking a seat in Congress.
The Associated Press
PoliticsMore than 158 million Brazilians will vote on Sunday for their next president, members of Congress and governors. In Rio de Janeiro, local candidates are competing for the highly sought-after favela electorate, including residents of Rocinha, Brazil’s largest favela.
PoliticsSecurity is a central issue in Brazil’s presidential campaign, where gangs and militias have tightened their grip in recent years. Lula is accused of losing ground as insecurity and violence rise, while Flávio Bolsonaro and the far right have seized on the issue. Rio de Janeiro residents describe how they are experiencing insecurity and whether it could shape their vote.
PoliticsBrazil’s agriculture sector is drawing attention as the country gets ready for this year’s presidential election. The rapidly expanding corn-based ethanol industry is competing directly with US producers in a market Washington wants greater access to, raising concerns among farmers.
PoliticsAs Brazil heads toward national elections, Jair Bolsonaro’s son Flavio is seeking votes as a more moderate version of his father. Coverage has been dominated by the country’s biggest-ever banking fraud case, amid familiar corruption scandals involving political figures and a tendency to portray them as equally culpable.