Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro hold final rallies before close Brazil runoff
The candidates campaigned in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday after a final debate, while a new poll put them within its margin of error ahead of Sunday's presidential vote.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro held final campaign rallies in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, 24 October, ahead of Sunday's presidential runoff. They converged on the city's beaches after a final televised debate, with a new poll showing a gap too small to establish a clear leader.
The rallies came on the last day of campaigning. Brazilian electoral law barred campaign advertising on broadcast radio and television from Saturday, Reuters reported, although candidates could continue holding rallies until the final hours of the day. The vote follows a first round on 4 October in which Bolsonaro received 47% and Lula 45%, according to Al Jazeera's Reuters-credited report. The candidates' first debate before the runoff followed that result.
What the final Brazil runoff poll shows
A CNT/MDA poll released on Saturday put Bolsonaro at 46.3% and Lula at 45%. MDA surveyed 2,032 people from 21 to 23 October, with a stated margin of error of 2.2 percentage points. The 1.3-point difference falls within that margin, leaving the lead uncertain. A Datafolha survey published on Thursday, 22 October, put both candidates at 50%, according to Al Jazeera's Reuters-credited report.
The previous week's CNT/MDA poll put Bolsonaro at 46.8% and Lula at 45.9%. The two surveys offer different estimates of support in a close contest; neither is a count of Sunday's ballots. Turnout may also matter: Al Jazeera reported that 33.4 million adults did not vote in the first round, an abstention rate of 21% and the highest for a general election since 1998. Voting is compulsory for most Brazilian adults.
Living costs and corruption in the final debate
At Friday's debate, hosted by broadcaster Globo, Lula and Bolsonaro spent more than two hours discussing living costs, welfare and security while trading allegations of corruption, Reuters reported. The allegations were campaign claims. Bolsonaro criticised food prices during Lula's administration and said a tax reform approved by the government would increase consumers' tax burden.
The exchange briefly turned personal when Bolsonaro called Lula ‘nine fingers’, referring to a finger Lula lost in a factory accident. Lula demanded a retraction, and Bolsonaro apologised, according to Reuters. Euronews described the final debate as calmer than the candidates' first encounter, which had descended into insults.
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Sources and context
- Left and Right face off in Brazil's second round presidential electionEuronews; article includes AP photo credits, not an AP reporting byline
- Bolsonaro and Lula clash on living costs, corruption in final Brazil election debateReuters, republished by The Straits Times
- Brazil’s Lula and Bolsonaro about even ahead of election run-off: PollAl Jazeera Staff and Reuters
- Do abstaining voters hold the key to Brazil’s 2026 presidential election?Al Jazeera, by Euan Marshall
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.