Brazilians Elect Their President: Fierce Race Between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro

Voters in Brazil, a country marked by sharp divisions, are preparing to elect a new president amid a fierce contest between incumbent leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. About 159 million people are eligible to cast their ballots.

It is not expected that either of the leading candidates will secure the absolute majority needed to win decisively in the first round, making a runoff between them on October 25 likely. The campaign has focused on crime, the role of the state, the independence of the Supreme Court, and relations with the United States.

On the eve of the first round of the elections, Lula da Silva and his conservative rival concluded their campaigns with rallies to mobilize their supporters. Lula da Silva, 80, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive presidential term, chose the city of São Paulo in southeastern Brazil to connect with his voters. Addressing his supporters, Lula said, “Tomorrow we will win the elections in the first round.”

São Paulo is the city where Lula da Silva concluded his campaign four years ago, when he won by a narrow margin in the second round against the far-right Jair Bolsonaro, father of his main rival this year. Jair Monteiro, 60, told Agence France-Presse while waiting for the president’s arrival in Latin America’s largest city, “This final battle for Lula is my personal battle.”

Meanwhile, Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, is participating in a motorcycle march covering approximately 400 kilometers. He hopes to capitalize on the conservative wave that has swept through Latin America in recent years, as seen in Argentina and Colombia. U.S. President Donald Trump is closely following the elections.

In a video posted before the motorcycle march, Bolsonaro said, “Don’t vote in two rounds; do it in one this time.”