Brazil’s Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro wrap up campaigns on eve of tight vote

Brazil heads into a closely contested presidential vote

Usagevpn.com – Brazil’s presidential election reaches its final day of campaigning with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro facing a contest expected to require a second round. Nearly 160 million registered voters are due to cast ballots on Sunday, 4 October, choosing a president as well as legislators, governors and some senators.

Although 12 names appear on the presidential ballot, Lula and Bolsonaro are regarded as the only candidates with a realistic path to the presidency. Polling indicates that neither is likely to secure an outright majority in the first round, making a runoff on 25 October increasingly probable.

The race has exposed the intensity of Brazil’s political divide. Lula, the 80-year-old left-wing incumbent, is seeking what he has described as his fourth and final presidential term. Bolsonaro, 45, represents the political right and is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who lost to Lula four years ago.

Final rallies in São Paulo and Rio

Both contenders spent recent weeks travelling across the country before turning their attention to closing events in Brazil’s biggest urban centres. Lula is set to stage his final rally in São Paulo, while Flávio Bolsonaro is finishing his campaign in Rio de Janeiro after attending a motorcyclists’ gathering roughly 400 kilometres away in São Paulo state.

Lula’s supporters have worn shirts and carried signs carrying messages such as:

Lula president again

Brazil belongs to Brazilians

Those slogans reflect a defining theme of his campaign: national sovereignty. Lula has repeatedly argued that Brazil must resist outside pressure, particularly from the administration of US President Donald Trump. He has urged Washington to stay out of the country’s electoral process.

Tensions with the United States have become part of the wider political backdrop. Washington imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian products last year, citing several factors including the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally. Earlier this year, a further set of tariffs was announced over allegations of unfair trade practices, despite the United States maintaining a trade surplus with Brazil.

The US also classified Brazil’s largest drug-trafficking gangs as foreign terrorist organisations shortly after Senator Bolsonaro visited the White House. Lula’s campaign has used those developments to reinforce its argument that Brazil should defend its independence in international affairs.

In the final stretch before voting, Lula’s team released a Portuguese-language version of Bad Bunny’s “Lo que le pasó a Hawaii.” The song invokes the US colonisation of Hawaii, and its use in the campaign was intended to underline warnings about foreign influence.

Security, spending and ties with Washington

Flávio Bolsonaro has presented a sharply different agenda. His campaign has emphasised tougher action against crime, fiscal restraint and criticism of the high cost of living. He has attacked Lula’s record, calling the president:

incompetent

His campaign events have regularly featured oversized US flags and giant inflatable figures of Trump. Trump has not endorsed the senator, but has said he is watching Brazil’s election “very closely.”

A Bolsonaro victory would place Brazil alongside several Latin American countries that have recently elected right-leaning, Trump-friendly governments, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru. Such a result could also reshape Brazil’s approach to relations with Washington at a time when trade and national security have become central campaign subjects.

The candidates’ opposing positions run beyond foreign policy. Lula’s appeal has focused on continuity, sovereignty and his experience in national politics. Bolsonaro has sought to channel frustration over public safety and household expenses while promising a more conservative direction for the country’s economy and security policies.

A campaign dominated by conflict

Substantive policy disputes have frequently competed for attention with accusations, scandals and personal attacks. The campaign unfolded in an especially polarised environment, where each side has fought intensely to win over voters who remain undecided.

Flávio Bolsonaro faced additional pressure after it emerged that he was being investigated in a corruption case connected to funding for “Dark Horse,” a biographical film about his father. The project was financed by jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro.

Vorcaro is himself under investigation in one of Brazil’s largest financial scandals, a case involving numerous influential figures. The matter also sparked a public dispute within the Supreme Federal Court after some judges were linked to Vorcaro.

Digital campaigning has magnified every controversy. Both camps have used online networks to turn missteps, allegations and rumours into rapidly produced videos and AI-generated images. The pace of that material has made it harder for voters to separate campaign messaging from the wider stream of political confrontation.

What Sunday’s vote will decide

The first-round result will show whether either candidate can exceed expectations or whether the country is headed for a three-week runoff battle. If no contender receives more than half of valid votes, the top two finishers will meet again on 25 October.

For Brazilian voters, the decision is larger than a choice between two political families. It will determine the direction of Latin America’s largest country on economic policy, public security, international engagement and the limits of foreign influence. With Lula and Bolsonaro effectively level in the race, even small shifts among undecided voters could shape the next stage of a deeply divided election.