Nearly 159 million Brazilians are heading to the polls on Sunday to choose their next president in a very close runoff election. The race between left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro is so tight that an unprecedented political comeback is possible. Since Brazil returned to democracy in the 1980s, no candidate who lost the first round has ever managed to win the second round.
The final vote follows a close first round on October 4, when Bolsonaro led with 47 percent of the vote compared to Lula's 45 percent. On Saturday, both candidates held massive rallies on the final day of campaigning. In Rio de Janeiro, local officials said more than one million people wearing red packed Copacabana Beach to support Lula, who later joined another large crowd in São Paulo. At the same time, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters gathered across the country, including motorcyclists wearing yellow national football shirts in the key state of Minas Gerais.
Recent opinion polls show the two candidates are almost tied. A survey released on Saturday placed Bolsonaro slightly ahead at 46.3 percent against Lula's 45 percent, well within the poll's margin of error. Flávio Bolsonaro, whose father Jair Bolsonaro was president from 2019 to 2022, has campaigned on cutting government spending and taking a tough approach to violent crime. Meanwhile, the 80-year-old Lula, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, has regained momentum following recent controversies involving his opponent.
The vote has highlighted deep divisions across the country. Supporters of Lula say they are voting to protect democracy, pointing to former president Jair Bolsonaro's 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after he lost the 2022 election. Supporters of Flávio Bolsonaro argue that Brazil needs a change in economic policy and criticize government welfare programs. As polling stations open, voters now face a decisive choice that will determine the political direction of Latin America's largest nation.